Heartbreak Echoes
by starlight2205
Summary: Sequel to Words left Unspoken. Lucas and Peyton left the remnants of their relationship behind. Can fate intervene and set things right again, or is history doomed to repeat itself, not just for them, but with their daughters as well?
1. Shake you off

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my own characters!

"Lauren, hurry up, your dad will be here any minute, and no you cannot reschedule! His tour starts on Tuesday, so get a move on!" Peyton yelled down the hallway to her daughters room. She heard a grumble in reply and took that to mean that Lauren was packing her things. Peyton had been attempting to get Lauren to Lucas's at least once a month but Lauren didn't always make it easy.

If for no other reason than not having to fight with Lauren, Peyton was glad that Lucas's book tour started up soon. Honestly, she didn't want to see him go. Things had been strained, at best, between the two of them the past few months. She was afraid that the miles would put more distance between them and she didn't necessarily mean physically. The fact was that Peyton was beginning to realize that Lucas and she might never have anything more between them than the shared custody of Lauren. Since the day that he'd stood on her lawn and agreed to give his divorce time to finalize, everything that transpired between the two of them was Lauren-centric. The only conversations that they had were to discuss the comings and goings of their daughter. Peyton was losing hope that Lucas could still want to be with her romantically. He seemed so happy that his book was taking off and with all the trappings that came along with becoming a best-selling author.

"Mom, have you seen my black pants?" Lauren asked, dragging her duffle down the hallway behind her. The reason that Peyton hadn't actively tried to win Lucas's affections was standing right in front of her. Her daughter had seemed to fade these last few months. Sometime during the prior school year, Lauren seemed to have lost some of her sparkle. She no longer lit the room up upon entering it. In fact, Peyton was lucky to notice when Lauren came and went. The girl that stood in front of her now, with her black yoga pants, black tank top and her hair thrown into a messy bun, was not recognizable as the girl who'd been so ecstatic to make cheer captain less than a year ago. Truth be told, Peyton had overheard Lauren on the phone, talking about possibly quitting the cheerleading squad. Peyton had fought with herself time and again about whether to intervene or let Lauren do what she wanted. She didn't want to be the kind of mother who forced her daughter to do activities, nor did she want to stand by the wayside and watch Lauren throw away everything that had made her happy. Failing to find a happy medium, Peyton merely watched, trying in vain to discover the cause of Lauren's unhappiness.

"Aren't you wearing them?" Peyton asked, pointing towards the black pants her daughter had on.

"Not these, my other ones, with the tear in the knee?" Lauren explained in exasperation. Peyton rolled her eyes. The old Lauren would have thrown out pants that had gotten a tear, now they were to be treasured.

"No I haven't. Maybe they're in the wash? By the way, I sent in the forms for cheer camp. I thought I might chaperone after all, I hope you don't mind. It's just that I was thinking about entering some of my work in the art fair, down in Raleigh, and it seemed like a good idea to just spend the two weeks there with you, instead of driving back and forth." Peyton said brightly, trying to drop the bomb as cheerfully as she could.

"I told you that I didn't want to go to cheer camp this year, don't you remember?" Lauren asked, the anger rising in her voice with each syllable. Peyton did remember but she was hoping that a few weeks away from home and surrounded by happy people would help Lauren out of her funk.

"Oh, I must have forgotten. I'm sorry but I've already sent the deposit. I really don't think I could get it back now. It won't be so bad will it? You used to look forward to going, remember?" Peyton fibbed with a smile, hoping that she was pulling off the fake ignorance act well.

"Whatever. Shouldn't Lucas be here by now?" Lauren asked, rolling her eyes. Peyton glanced at the clock and saw that he should have been here at least ten minutes ago. She thought about calling his cell but decided to give him a few more minutes. She didn't want to look like she was being needy.

Just then Lucas's car zoomed around the corner and pulled into the driveway. Peyton was disappointed to see Charity was behind the wheel and not Lucas. She watched as Charity bounded across the yard and up to the door. She didn't even bother knocking anymore.

"Hey guys, dad was on the phone with his publisher, again, so I decided to quit waiting on him and just come get Lauren myself!" Charity stated with a grin. Lauren gave a small smile, the most Peyton had seen in weeks, as Charity grabbed Lauren's bag.

"C'mon, we've got plans tonight girly. You better have something decent in here to wear and I don't mean more black pants!" Charity said warningly, as she slung Lauren's bag over her shoulder. Lauren shook her head in amusement.

Peyton was thankful that Charity still tried so hard to pretend that Lauren hadn't changed so much. Lauren seemed to become more of her old self around Charity.

"Will you have your dad call me? And you girls have fun and be careful! " Peyton commanded as the girls headed out the door. Lauren nodded as she followed Charity to the car.

Peyton was glad that they would be leaving for Raleigh in a week. She sincerely hoped that she was right and that Lauren would do well, being thrust back into her old world. If not, it was going to be a very long two weeks.


	2. Sunk so low

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my own characters!

Lauren let out a sigh as she let the smile on her face disappear. Her meager attempts at putting on a happy face for her mother were exhausting.

"So how are you doing, sunshine?" Charity asked seriously. Lauren chuckled at Charity's lame attempt at humor. Charity was just about the only person who knew exactly how Lauren was. Since Jenny had gone to spend the summer with her mother, Nikki, before heading off to college, Lauren had been confiding in Charity.

"My mother signed me up for cheer camp. Can you believe it? I could have sworn I'd told her not to. So now I get to try to convince a blue million people that I'm a happy, perky, bubbly cheerleader." Lauren vented, as they drove towards Lucas and Charity's house.

"I'm sorry, but look on the bright side, I'll be there." Charity pointed out. Lauren shrugged her shoulders, signifying that she was done with this topic.

"So what are these 'big plans' that we have tonight?" Lauren asked, ready to shoot down whatever came out of Charity's mouth.

"We're going to a party and you're coming whether you like it or not. You're wallowing Lauren and frankly, I'm getting sick of it. The Classic was forever ago, you and Tyler are friends now, at least, so just be happy with what you have!" Charity exclaimed, exasperated with Lauren.

Lauren sighed and turned away from Charity. As she watched the houses flying by, she let her thoughts wander. Charity was right, she was wallowing. She'd suffered her first real heartbreak at the hands of Tyler, with the help of Charity and Lila. Lauren didn't understand why it was still affecting her so much, except that she'd really cared for Tyler and it hurt her so much to know that she didn't mean anything to him. They were friends now but Lauren could hardly be around him, without feeling like her heart was being ripped from her chest.

"Oh, and the party is at Tyler's." Charity added, offhandedly, as they pulled into Lucas's driveway. Lauren whipped her head around to glare at Charity. Only Charity would be so insensitive as to force her to go to a party thrown by the only person to ever break not only her heart, but her. Lauren shook her head, trying to resign herself to the fact that she was going to have to see and probably talk to Tyler.

Lauren slowly drug her stuff into the house. She heard Lucas speaking loudly and assumed he was still on the phone with the publisher. Lauren felt, as she often did, that she was moving in slow motion. It seemed to take her hours to trudge up the stairs and down the hall to her room. She sat her bag down on the floor, just inside the door, and sank down on the bed. Why did it have to feel like so much work, just to live? Some days it hardly seemed worth it. Turning over, she glanced at the picture in a frame on her nightstand. It was a picture of her and Jenny at some party or another, last year. She looked so happy. It was hard to imagine that she'd ever had that much to be happy about.

"Okay Miss Poutyface, it's time to get you cute for tonight!" Charity sing-songed as she barged into Lauren's room. Lauren groaned loudly. She should have known. This was the very reason that she kept putting off staying with Lucas. Charity tried so hard, too hard, really. In fact, it was getting old. She didn't understand why everyone just couldn't leave her be. She wasn't hurting anyone, she just wanted to be left alone.

"Look, I appreciate the effort, really, but could we just not, tonight?" Lauren asked, her voice devoid of emotion. Charity shook her head, a look of insult playing on her features.

"Right, because I love to fight you, tooth and nail, to keep you out of bed. I just absolutely love being shot down constantly. It's great!" Charity said sarcastically as she threw her hands up in the air.

"Look Lauren, I love you and I'm done watching you waste away over a guy who frankly, isn't worth it. Tyler Bennett is not the be all, end all of guys, okay? I promise you, if you will just get your skinny ass out of this bed and do something with yourself that, not only will you feel better, but you might just stand the chance of meeting someone who is worth it." Charity added kindly. Lauren knew that Charity was right, she knew that every time they had this conversation, but it didn't make her feel any better. Sighing, she decided that maybe if she gave in this one time, that Charity might back off for awhile.

"Fine, you win. Let's do this." Lauren conceded as Charity clapped, happily.

"You are going to be so hot, we'll have those boys drooling!" Charity promised as she grabbed Lauren's hand and drug her into the bathroom. Lauren decided that Charity had best leave her alone for a very long time, after tonight.


	3. These are the days

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my own characters!

"Frankly, I don't care when your tour starts Lucas! I have a show in Manhattan. I'm waiting on my ride to the airport as we speak. You'll just have to figure something out." Brooke said, matter-of-factly into the phone. Without another word she hung up. Lucas knew that she was leaving today, could she help it if he had failed to make arrangements for Charity. Lucas was leaving on Tuesday and Charity didn't leave for cheer camp until Friday, he knew that. Brooke rolled her eyes. She didn't understand why he hadn't simply called Karen and asked if Charity could stay with her for a few days.

"Are you all packed?" Jake asked as he let himself into her apartment. He was taking her to the airport today. It still surprised her sometimes that they had ended up as good of friends as they were. Jake had been her rock during the divorce and every day since. When Jenny had told him that she had found Nikki and would be spending the summer with her before going to UNC, Brooke was only too happy to finally be able to return the favor. Now they had forged an easy friendship. It was one of the only friendships that Brooke had ever had that had total honesty and trust. She was glad to have Jake.

"Yes finally. Lucas called to ask if Charity could stay with me this week! Can you believe it? He's so wrapped up in this book tour of his that he still hasn't found anywhere for Charity to stay after he leaves." She told him in frustration.

"I'm sorry. Did you guys get it worked out?" He asked, plopping down on her couch. Brooke shook her head, joining him on the couch.

"No, and that's his problem. He's the one who wanted Charity to live with him. I suppose he'll call Karen." She said with a shrug.

"Alright, well let's get this show on the road." Jake said enthusiastically. Brooke giggled, knowing he wouldn't be so enthused when he saw her mountain of luggage.

"Where's all your stuff?" He asked, hopping up. She bit her lip, trying to stifle the giggles. She pointed towards her bedroom. Jake walked down the hallway and pushed open her door. The look on his face was priceless. He opened his mouth to speak and then closed it again. He glanced from Brooke to the luggage and back. Finally Brooke couldn't contain her laughter any longer. Soon she had tears steaming down her cheeks from laughing so hard.

"You can't be serious! You're only going to Manhattan for a week!" Jake exclaimed. Brooke shrugged, still laughing from his expression.

"I'm a fashion designer Jake!" She retorted, as if that would clear everything up. Shaking his head, he grabbed the nearest piece of luggage and began trekking it out to his car. Brooke grabbed her carry on bag and joined him. Soon they had every last piece of luggage loaded into and onto Jake's car.

"Have you heard from Jenny lately?" She asked carefully as they made their way onto the interstate.

"A few days ago. I guess everything is good. She said that Nikki is a paralegal now, can you believe it? Apparently she's doing well for herself. She's married and they have two little boys, Jenny said." Jake said, relaying the information to Brooke. She was glad to hear that Nikki had turned things around. Jenny deserved a mother who wasn't an alcoholic as Nikki had been.

"I'm really glad to hear that. Do you ever wish things had worked out differently between you guys?" She asked curiously. She had dealt with Nikki, she knew just how manipulative she could be. What Brooke had never understood was how Jake, as caring and unselfish as he was, could ever have been in love with someone like Nikki.

"Sometimes, maybe." Jake answered honestly. Brooke nodded. She knew what it was like to wonder about the past. She did it too often.

"What about you? Do you ever wonder how things would be if you and Lucas hadn't gotten pregnant and married so young?" Jake asked, glancing at her. It was just like him to read her mind. It wasn't enough that they finished one another's sentences, now he had to see what she was thinking too?

"Sometimes, maybe." She replied, repeating his words. Jake rolled his eyes. He knew her well enough to know that when she used humor to deflect something, it wasn't a good idea to push.

"So, are you going to miss me?" She asked, coyly changing the subject.

"Nope." Jake replied. Brooke was starting to feel insulted, when she noticed Jake was struggling to keep a straight face.

"You're a pain in my ass, you know that, right?" Brooke laughed. Jake shrugged good-naturedly.

"If I didn't pick on you, you'd think I didn't care." Jake joked. Brooke playfully slapped his arm.

"Fine, see if I bring you home anything." Brooke said indifferently. Jake shook his head, giving her a smile. She smiled back. She really was lucky to have Jake.


	4. Muster every ounce of confidence

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my own characters!

Charity stood back and admired her creation. If she had to say so herself, Lauren looked hot.

"So, what do you think?" She asked Lauren, as Lauren studied herself in the mirror. Charity tapped her fingers on her hip impatiently.

"I guess I look okay." Lauren finally admitted. Charity shook her head, she was starting to get fed up with Lauren's attitude.

"No, you look better than okay. C'mon Lauren! For just one night can't we pretend that everything is okay?" Charity pleaded. She desperately needed Lauren to go back to being the strong one.

Slowly Lauren nodded. Charity was pleased to see that Lauren at least intended to make an effort. That was a start, right?

"Good, cause I really need you." Charity admitted softly. Lauren turned away from the mirror to face her.

"What's the matter?" She asked worriedly. Charity gave her a sad smile before sitting down on the bed.

"I don't think Derek wants to be with me anymore. He's been so distant lately. I don't know what I would do if he broke up with me. I don't even want to think about it." Charity admitted, trying to stop the tears that were threatening to spill. Lauren quickly threw her arms around Charity.

"I doubt that's true. Derek loves you!" Lauren countered, slowly pulling away. Charity shook her head sadly.

"I don't think he does, not anymore. Watch him tonight at the party. You'll see." Charity told her confidently. Glancing at the clock, Charity hurriedly threw her own clothes on and rushed them out the door. The drive to Tyler's was done mostly in silence. Charity felt slightly exposed, having finally unloaded her burden. She'd been worrying over her relationship with Derek for weeks. As the pulled up she grabbed Lauren's hand and gave it a squeeze. She hoped that tonight would be just what Lauren needed, not make the situation worse.

"I suppose it's too late to change my mind?" Lauren asked forlornly, as they walked up the sidewalk to Tyler's house. Before Charity could reply, the door was thrown open and Lauren looked as if she were being drug into the lions den. A crowd of people gathered, everyone greeting Lauren, most were surprised at her appearance. Although Charity had been making attempts to get Lauren back into the social scene, she had to admit that all of her prior attempts were in vain.

Charity glanced around the room and saw Derek and Tyler standing with a group of girls that she didn't recognize. Nudging Lauren, Charity nodded in Derek's direction. Lauren frowned and grabbed Charity's arm and drug her over to where Derek and Tyler were standing.

"Tyler, I'm disappointed. I grace your party with my presence and you can't even come and say 'hello'?" Lauren pouted in a flirtatious manner. Charity stared, in shock. She hadn't seen Lauren smile in months and yet, here she was, flirting with the guy who had broken her heart.

"Lauren?! I can't believe it." Tyler said, grinning as he bent to hug Lauren.

"Lauren Sawyer is at my party!" He yelled, raising his arms in victory.

"And I won't stay if you're going to ignore me." Lauren stated, cocking her head in the direction of his and Derek's little ho posse. Luckily, for them, the girls weren't stupid. With a few eye rolls, they sauntered away. Lauren grabbed Tyler's arm asked him to dance. She gave Charity a pointed look as they walked away. Suddenly Charity realized that she was alone with Derek.

"Hey." She greeted him, feeling unsure of herself.

"Hey." He replied, taking a drink of his beer. She saw the girls that he had been talking to before, staring at her.

"Who were those girls that you and Tyler were talking to?" She asked lightly, trying to sound as if she were just asking out of curiosity.

"Some cheerleaders from Bear Creek. Casey, Amy and Sara." Derek replied, smiling over her head at one of the girls. Charity took a deep breath, struggling to keep from walking across the room and taking out all of her frustrations on each one of the three girls.

"Do they know that you have a girlfriend? Or was it you that forgot that tidbit?" She asked icily. She had been trying not to rock the boat for weeks, but seeing Lauren dancing with the last person on earth that Lauren would have chosen and knowing that she was doing it for Charity, made her bold. If Lauren could take a risk, so could she.

"It never really came up." Derek replied, his eyes flashing, as if challenging her to press the issue.

"Oh, really. So what did?" Charity replied angrily. It was no use now. Once she got fired up, there was no stopping her.

"I don't think that's really any of your business." Derek stated, flatly. Charity felt her blood boiling. So he wanted to play games, did he?

"I guess its not anymore." She replied, shrugging her shoulders indifferently. Without another word she turned and grabbed the first guy that walked by. Luckily for her it was Logan, he'd always had a crush on her. Giving Derek a innocent smile, she ran her hands through Logan's hair and pulled him to her. As they began to dance, rather indecently, Charity saw Derek visibly tense.

"Charity, what are we doing?" Logan whispered in her ear as she danced in front of him.

"Getting even." She seethed, glaring at Derek.


	5. Another night in Hollywood

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my own characters!

Lauren smiled to herself, as she danced with Tyler. She knew that his dancing with her didn't mean anything, but it still felt so good to be back in his arms.

"I'm really glad you came tonight, everyone's been worried about you." Tyler said softly. Lauren was in no mood for a serious conversation. Tonight was about pretending that everything was back to normal.

"Well, there's no reason to be. I'm right here." She replied lightly. Some movement to her right caught her eye. She looked over and saw Charity dancing rather seductively with Logan.

"So what's Derek's deal? Is he trying to lose Charity or is he just really that ignorant?" Lauren asked, watching Charity glare at Derek as she danced with Logan.

"I don't know what's going on with him. I've tried talking to him, but he just blows me off. I think that he wants to end things with her, but I think he knows that he could regret that decision, and I don't think Charity would just take him back, you know?" Tyler said, shrugging. Lauren nodded. She felt sorry for her sister. She knew how much Charity cared for Derek.

"What about you? Are you dating anyone new?" He asked as they made their way over to the make-shift bar. Lauren was tempted to lie, only because she didn't want to seem pathetic and lonely.

"No, not really. I'm thinking about taking the summer off, from guys." She admitted, quickly taking the shot that Tyler poured for her.

"That's too bad. I was hoping you might give me a reason to make a road trip to Raleigh next week." Tyler replied with a grin. Lauren stared at him, speechless. He couldn't be flirting with her. It wasn't possible.

"What kind of a reason?" She asked softly, barely able to utter the words. She was fighting to stay indifferent to his response.

"I've missed you Lauren. If I had to choose my biggest regret, it would be losing you. I know that I did everything wrong when we were together, but I hope that one day you can give me another shot." Tyler said seriously. Lauren felt as if her heart were going to beat out of her chest.

To Lauren, it seemed as if time were grinding to a halt. Everyone and everything else around her was melting away. For a moment it was only her and Tyler. She wanted to stay in this moment forever.

"How about a trial run? Let's pretend that we are dating till I leave on Friday. If we make it that long without either of us cheating, then we'll talk about that road trip." Lauren offered, grinning. Tyler nodded and laughed.

"Sounds like a plan. Let's drink to our pretend relationship." Tyler replied, raising his shot glass. Lauren grinned and downed her shot. As she lowered her glass, she saw the three girls that Tyler and Derek had been talking to earlier, walking towards them. Two of them stopped a few feet back and a pretty blonde walked up and tapped Tyler on the shoulder.

"Hey, I was wondering if you wanted to dance?" She asked, winking at Tyler. Lauren cocked her eyebrow at the clueless girl.

"I'm sorry, what was your name?" Tyler asked. Lauren fought to keep from laughing out loud. The girl's smile faltered slightly.

"I'm Amy, Derek introduced us, remember?" She asked, twirling a strand of her long honey blonde hair around her finger.

"Right. Sorry, I'm going to have to pass." Tyler replied, turning back to Lauren. Amy's mouth dropped as she realized that she was being given the brush off. She slunk back to her friends, throwing glances back towards Tyler.

"That was harsh, Bennett." Lauren commented, after Amy and her friends were out of earshot.

"Do you want me to go and tell her I changed my mind?" He asked playfully.

"No! Oh no, now she's hitting on Derek." Lauren moaned as she spotted Amy and the other two girls approaching Derek. Lauren scanned the room for Charity, but she didn't see her or Logan. She couldn't just stand here and watch those slutty girls flirting with her sister's boyfriend.

"I'll be right back." She said to Tyler as she made her way towards Derek. She reached him just as Amy was running her hand up Derek's arm. Lauren didn't stop to think, she simply reacted. She snatched Amy's hand off of Derek and pushed her slightly. Derek gave her a questioning look. The look on Amy's face, however; was the one that had her attention at the present moment.

"Just who the hell do you think you are?" Amy screeched, whirling around to face Lauren. Amy's lackey's circled in behind her.

"I'm Lauren, and that's my sister's boyfriend." Lauren stated, pointing at Derek. Amy made a show of tossing her long blonde hair over her shoulder.

"Funny, Derek never said he had a girlfriend. She must not be worth mentioning." She said rudely.

"Did Derek mention he was an ass? No, well I guess Derek forgets to mention a lot of things, doesn't he?" Lauren said sweetly. Her mother had always told her never to start the fight so Lauren was giving her all to pissing Amy off enough to take a swing.

"Apparently because not only did he forget to mention his girlfriend, he forgot to mention that her sister was such a bitch!" Amy exclaimed loudly.

"If I were you, I'd shut my mouth, now!" Charity said threateningly, as she made her way through the crowd that had gathered around.

"Right, and I should listen to you, why?" Amy asked, sarcastically.

"I'm Derek's girlfriend." Charity whispered loudly. She gave Amy a big grin, drew back her fist and punched her, square in the jaw.

"Well, was." She shrugged. Charity gave Derek a hateful look and disappeared into the crowd.


	6. Wait for me

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my own characters!

Lucas hung up the phone, rubbing his forehead in frustration. He couldn't believe that he'd forgotten about Brooke's trip. He hadn't made any plans for Charity because he assumed that she could stay with Brooke. Now it was looking like he was going to have to call his agent back, again, and push back the start date for his book tour.

He wandered out of his study and into the kitchen. He would have called his mother, but she was going to visit his sister, Lily, at school. He was proud of his sister. It had been a bit of a shock for his mother when Lily announced that she had applied for and won admission to the very private and elite boarding school, Asheville Academy. His pride was somewhat tempered by his annoyance at his current problem. Sitting down at the kitchen table to think, Lucas saw a note from Lauren. He smiled as he read over it quickly. The note was to inform him that she and Charity were out for the night and that Peyton would like him to call her.

His smile dropped as he read over Peyton's name. He had messed things up with Peyton terribly this time. He had agreed to wait until his divorce was final, before pursuing a relationship with her. He hadn't wanted to, but it was what Peyton wanted. He threw himself into his work, to keep him from running back to Peyton. His divorce was final the day that his editor called and told him that his book had made the bestseller's list. Before he knew what was happening, he was in and out of meetings and flying to New York constantly for meetings with his new agent. He felt as if he'd been in a whirlwind that was about to culminate with his national book signing tour. He'd barely had time to eat or sleep these past few months, let alone find time for Peyton. So many times he'd wanted to pick up the phone and tell her that he loved her, but he didn't want to tie her down to someone who didn't have any extra time for her. He had promised himself that as soon as he wrapped up his tour that he would take the first flight home and straight to her house.

Sighing, he dropped Lauren's note and headed back into his study to phone Peyton.

"Hello Peyton." He greeted her as she answered the phone.

"Lucas, I was hoping you'd call. I wanted to let you know that Lauren and I are going to Raleigh. Lauren is going to camp after all and I'm going to go with her. I'm actually entering some of my art into a show." Peyton explained. Lucas noted that she sounded happy. It had been a long time since she'd sounded happy.

"That's great! New work?" He asked. The last he knew, she hadn't been drawing in some time.

"Yep, I've had a creative streak, lately." She replied. This knowledge made Lucas realize how little he knew about her life, outside of Lauren.

"That's great." Lucas said softly.

"What's the matter Luke? You sound upset." Peyton asked with concern.

"I screwed up somehow. I'm supposed to leave for New York on Tuesday and I thought that Brooke was in town until next Friday. She actually left today and Charity doesn't leave for Raleigh until Friday. I'd ask my mom if Charity could stay with her, but she's leaving tomorrow to visit Lily for the week." Lucas explained, tiredly. There was silence on the line for a moment.

"Why didn't you ask me? She can stay here, it's not a big deal at all. Besides, Lauren and I are going anyway, it just makes sense." Peyton offered. Lucas had thought about asking her, but it just hadn't felt right.

"Are you sure? That would be wonderful!" Lucas exclaimed.

"Absolutely. We'll have some good old girly bonding time." Peyton chuckled.

"Thank you, so much, for this Peyton." Lucas said graciously. It meant a lot to him that Peyton would do this for him.

"Not a problem. I guess I'll see you on Monday." Peyton confirmed before hanging up. Lucas returned the phone to it's cradle. He was glad for the excuse to see Peyton. He hadn't had many and honestly, he wasn't sure why he felt he needed one.

Glancing at the clock, he decided to call it a night. He knew better than to wait up for the girls. Charity would act insulted, and besides, he knew that Lauren would have them home at a decent hour.


	7. Doesn't seem a way to be redeemed

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my own characters!

Charity wondered aimlessly through Tyler's crowded house. She was feeling angry and reckless and that was not a good combination on her. She couldn't believe that Derek had pretty much admitted to cheating on her. She knew that once the alcohol in her system wore off she would be devastated, but for now she was just pissed.

"Hey, I've been looking for you. Are you okay?" Logan asked as he picked his way over to her. Charity felt badly for playing with Logan's feelings. She knew, very well, that he'd had a crush on her since she'd arrived in Tree Hill. If she were smart she would have dated him instead of Derek. Logan never would have treated her the way Derek had. He was a classic 'nice guy'.

"No, not really." She admitted softly. She shook her head as Logan opened his arms to her. She knew that if she let him hug her that she would start crying and she was trying not to do that.

"Do you want to go and sit down somewhere? Do you want me to find Lauren?" Logan asked. Charity simply nodded. She followed Logan up the stairs and down a hallway. He held open a door for her.

"Why don't you just grab us some drinks. Don't worry about Lauren." Charity instructed as she entered the dark room. Logan nodded and headed back down the stairs.

"Charity?" Tyler asked as she fumbled for the lights. Turning them on, she found herself in Tyler's room, with Tyler lying on his bed.

"What were you doing in here, in the dark?" Charity asked, sitting down on the edge of his bed.

"Just thinking. What are you doing, hiding out in my room?" Tyler asked in amusement.

"It's been a rough night." Charity said softly. Tyler nodded in commiseration. She assumed that he had witnessed the debacle that was the end of her relationship with Derek.

"If you need anything, let me know." Tyler offered, heading towards the door.

"Do you care if I crash here tonight? If I go home with Lauren, she'll want to 'talk about it'." Charity asked, rolling her eyes.

"Sure, no problem. I'll let Lauren know." Tyler said with a smile as he pulled the door shut behind him. Sighing, Charity let herself fall backwards onto Tyler's bed. She quickly grew bored as she waited for Logan. Walking around the room, she spotted Tyler's cd collection and began flipping through it.

"Sorry it took so long, Tyler caught me on the stairs." Logan said as he brought her cup over to her. She smiled as she took her drink from him.

"That's cool. Thanks, Logan, for everything tonight. I'm sorry about earlier, I just really wanted to piss Derek off and you were the first guy I saw." Charity explained, shrugging as she spoke.

"Yeah, I figured. I saw him with that blonde girl at a party last week in Bear Creek, but I didn't want to be the bearer of bad news." Logan told her, not quite meeting her eye. Charity closed her eyes for a moment to regain her composure. She wanted to yell and scream and ask why Logan hadn't told her, but it was over and done, and she saw no reason to lose another relationship tonight.

"It's cool, don't sweat it. Listen, I'm really tired, I think I'm just gonna get some sleep." She said, faking a yawn. Logan nodded and left the room. As soon as she heard the door click shut, she let her shoulders sag and let the tears fall. She crawled into Tyler's bed and bawled.

She must have fallen asleep at some point, because the next thing Charity knew, Tyler was carefully laying down beside her. It was like her body was suddenly filled with electricity. She was tingling from head to toe, totally aware of exactly how close his body was to hers. Before she could stop herself she'd turned to face him. Within seconds her lips were on his. Tyler groaned as he quickly pulled away from her.

"Charity, stop." Tyler said weakly. Charity ignored him and pressed her lips to his again. Again, he pushed her away.

"Stop. I'm with Lauren." Tyler said a little more forcibly this time. Charity felt like she couldn't breathe. No, there was no way she was hearing this correctly. She couldn't believe that Lauren had taken Tyler back after everything they'd done. Nor could she believe that she'd kissed Tyler twice while he was dating her sister.

"Oh my god, not again" Charity muttered as she turned away from Tyler. She laid very still for a moment, collecting herself, before she got out of bed and headed straight out the door. She stumbled down the stairs and out Tyler's front door. She was glad it wasn't a long walk home, but then again, she wasn't looking forward to seeing Lauren any time soon either.


	8. Happiness doesn't work

**A/N: I'm sorry for the long wait. I've had soo much going on lately. I'm definatly going to try to update more frequently again. :)**

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my own characters!

Lauren awoke slowly the next morning. For the first time in months, she had a smile on her face before she'd even gotten out of bed. She quickly rolled over and jumped out of bed, looking for some evidence that the previous night had actually happened.

She smiled as she saw Tyler's class ring laying on her nightstand. He'd given it to her, just before she'd left his house, as a way of showing her that he was serious about giving them another shot. She picked up the ring and held it tightly in her fist for a moment before setting it back down. She gave it one last glance before turning her attention towards finding something to wear. She rummaged through the clothes she had brought in disgust. For once, she actually cared what she looked like today. Debating her options, she headed down the hall to Charity's room. She wasn't home anyway, and she probably wouldn't mind Lauren borrowing some clothes anyway.

Lauren pushed open the door and was surprised to find that Charity was home. She was passed out across her bed. Lauren felt a pang of sympathy as she noted the dried tears on Charity's cheeks. Lauren knew the hell of a broken heart better than anyone. She quickly made her way to Charity's closet and grabbed some clothes. She quietly made her way back out of her sister's room.

She was just about to jump in the shower when her cell rang. Sighing, she hurried back into her room and grabbed the phone out of her bag. She paused when she saw her own number pop up on the caller ID.

"Mom? What's up?" Lauren asked as she flipped open her phone. Her mother rarely called her when she was at Lucas's house.

"Good morning. I was just calling to make sure you guys got home safely?" Lauren shook her head. Sometimes it felt like her mother would never let her grow up.

"Obviously, since I'm speaking to you." Lauren replied in amusement. She heard her mother chuckle on the other end of the line.

"Well, you certainly seem to be in a fine mood today. I think going out last night must have been good for you." Her mother said in a observant tone. Lauren thought about telling her that she and Tyler were back together, but they weren't really, yet, so she said nothing.

"Alright, well I guess I'll let you go now." Peyton said, realizing that Lauren wasn't going to explain her new found chipper ness.

"Bye mom." Lauren said with a smile as she flipped her phone shut. Once again, she gathered up her things and started for the bathroom when her phone rang again. Groaning she tossed her clothes back on the bed and picked up her phone. This time she smiled as she read Tyler's number.

"Good morning." She answered, grinning.

"It is now. Hey, listen, some of the guys are going to Tric tonight. Are you going to be there?" Tyler asked. Lauren figured it wouldn't be easy to talk Charity into going out, but she would try.

"Sure, Charity and I will be there." She replied enthusiastically.

"Oh, okay. Um, if you talk to Charity soon, can you have her give me a call?" Tyler asked nervously. Lauren raised an eyebrow at this.

"Yeah, sure. Any reason why?" She asked lightly.

"Not really, just wanted to make sure she's doing okay. I talked to Derek a little last night." Tyler explained. Lauren mentally shook herself for being so paranoid.

"Okay, no problem. So I'll see you tonight?" Lauren asked, feeling a tingle run down her spine at the thought of seeing Tyler again.

"Definitely." Tyler replied. As she hung up the phone, she heard Charity turn on her stereo. Lauren scooped up her clothes, again, and walked back down to Charity's room.

"Hey, Tyler wants you to call him." Lauren said as she walked into her sister's room. Lauren noticed that Charity paled slightly at her words.

"How are you doing? If you want to talk, I'm here okay? Oh, and we're going to Tric tonight with Tyler and the guys." Lauren informed Charity. Charity started to shake her head.

"I'm not taking no for an answer. I went along with you last night, and it was one of the best nights of my life. Maybe it'll work for you too." Lauren said, smiling.

"I'm not going. I just need some time alone." Charity said hoarsely. Lauren's first instinct was to keep pushing Charity to go, but she recalled how she had felt and left it alone.

"Sure. Well, I'm going to jump in the shower. Don't forget to call to Tyler." She reminded Charity as she left the room.


	9. Bitterness

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my own characters!

Charity stared guiltily at the door as Lauren pulled it shut behind her. She rubbed her aching head, unsure if the headache was from the alcohol or the previous nights' events. She had been so tempted to tell Lauren what had happened, but hearing that Tyler wanted to talk to her put a dent in her plans.

Sighing, she picked up her phone and dialed Tyler's number. She was about to chicken out and hang right back up when Tyler answered.

"Hey, Lauren said you wanted to talk?" Charity asked, playing dumb. She half hoped that Tyler had been too drunk to remember the kiss.

"Yeah, about last night, can we just keep it between us? Lauren and I are kinda on a trial basis and I don't want to jeopardize anything. I mean, it was just a mistake right?" Tyler asked hopefully.

Charity had been laying awake for hours, asking herself the very same thing. She had replayed their entire history in her head, repeatedly. So yes, she'd been attracted to him from the moment she'd laid eyes on him. He'd also been Lauren's boyfriend. Then he'd introduced her to Derek and she fell in love. She and Tyler had a really good friendship, despite everything that had happened between them. Why then, was it almost an automatic thing, for her to run straight into his arms, as soon as her relationship with Derek had ended? That was the million dollar question and one that she didn't have an answer to.

"Yeah, it was a stupid mistake." Charity finally agreed. She hoped her response didn't sound as weak to him as it did to her.

"Cool. Well, then we'll just forget it happened. Oh, I talked to Logan last night. That boy has got it bad for you." Tyler told her. She knew that Logan had a crush on her. He'd had one since she'd moved to Tree Hill. Her mom told her that he reminded her of a kid that she'd gone to school with named "Mouth" only cuter, whatever that meant.

"Yeah, Logan's great, I'm just not ready for anything else right now. Have you talked to Derek?" She asked nonchalantly. Or what she hoped was nonchalant. She was biting her lip in anticipation of his response.

"Uh, yeah. I talked to him for a minute." Tyler replied uneasily. Charity very nearly threw the phone in frustration.

"Well, did he say anything about me?" She asked. She had to force herself not to raise her voice.

"Not really. There's not really an easy way to say this, but he called from Amy's. He went home with her last night." Tyler explained softly. Charity blinked furiously, trying to keep the tears at bay. She didn't want to cry while Tyler was still on the line.

"I'm so sorry Charity. I really didn't think that he would be like this. Not after what Cassie did to him." Tyler said after a moment.

"Yeah, me either. I guess you never really know a person, do you?" She asked, trying to keep her emotions in check.

"If you need anything, someone to yell at or a shoulder to cry on, give me a call." He offered as they ended their conversation. Charity flung herself onto her bed and grabbed a pillow to muffle her scream.

She had been down this road, back in Raleigh. Why did she always have to meet the "great guys" who turn out to be complete asses? She was like a magnet for well disguised assholes. Her ex-boyfriend, Zach, had been wonderful at first as well. His twin sister Chloe had been a hard sell, but even she had eventually come around and had been the closest thing to a best friend that she'd had before Lauren.

It was the three of them against the world for the longest time. She and Chloe were on the cheer squad and Zach played soccer. The three of them were inseparable. Well, they had been, until Charity had discovered that Zach was cheating on her with half the squad. Oh, and that Chloe had known about it and never breathed a word. Yep, that was about the time that Charity had lost control. She'd gone on a drinking spree which had ended with her stealing Zach's car and crashing it into a tree, earning her physical therapy and community service. At least this time she was relatively sure that there wouldn't be another suicide attempt.


	10. If it takes the rest of my life

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my own characters!

Peyton snuck a glance at her watch again. She'd gotten up ridiculously early and primped and preened for hours. She wanted to smack herself for being so worried about what she looked like. Chances were that Lucas was just going to drop the girls off, not stay and chat. She tried to justify her actions by telling herself that it was only because she wasn't going to see him for weeks. Even that didn't help because she usually went weeks without seeing him, but this time she wouldn't even have the opportunity to.

Glancing out the window, she spotted Lucas's car coming down the road and the butterflies in her stomach started fluttering again. She forced herself to take a couple of deep breathes and headed out the door to help get the girls' bags in the house.

"Thank you, so much, for the Peyton. You really don't know what this means to me." Lucas said gratefully as he hopped out of the car and popped the trunk. Peyton simply nodded with a smile and began grabbing duffel bags. Lauren and Charity, realizing their parents probably wanted a moment alone, headed straight into the house.

"So, where do you go first?" Peyton asked, even though she had his schedule memorized.

"I fly to New York in the morning to finalize some things, then we're headed to Boston. Two weeks from now this will all be a memory, but right now I can't even fathom it." Lucas admitted with a smile. Peyton was happy for Lucas. She knew, better than most, how long he'd dreamed of this and to see him achieve his dreams, was wonderful for her.

"I'm so happy for you Luke. You deserve this." She said, smiling.

"And what about you? Entering your work into a gallery show? That's great news!" Lucas said excitedly. Peyton couldn't help smiling. She was excited to see her work displayed again.

"I know, I could hardly believe it when Rich called and said that I'd been selected." She replied.

"Who's Rich? The gallery owner?" Lucas asked. Peyton wished she could detect a hint of jealousy, but there was none in his voice.

"Yes. Richard Cooper. I'm actually really excited to meet him. We've spoken so much this past week, it'll be nice to put a face with a name." She explained, finally heading into the house with the girls' bags. Lucas grabbed the last few and followed her.

"Well, I guess I'd better be going. I still have some packing to do." Lucas said slowly, dropping the bags onto the couch.

"Do you want to stay for dinner?" Peyton blurted out. She had tossed the idea, of inviting him to stay, around in her head all morning. Lucas's eyes lit up at her offer.

"Wait, are you cooking?" He asked suspiciously. Peyton laughed. She was known for her ability to burn water.

"Uh, no. I was thinking we could order some take-out?" She said with a shrug.

"Well then, I'd love to." Lucas replied with a grin. She loved the way his eyes sparkled when he smiled.

"I was hoping you'd say that." Peyton admitted, shyly. She had nearly given up hope that Lucas still harbored any romantic feelings for her.

"Did you really think I'd turn you down?" He asked, raising his eyebrows. Peyton shrugged and nodded.

"Don't you know how much I love you, silly girl?" Lucas asked, crossing the room and cupping her chin in his hand.

"I was beginning to wonder." She admitted softly. It was difficult to formulate much more of a response because his lips were soon on hers. In her mind she was screaming and jumping for joy. She melted into his arms and deepened the kiss.

"Mom, what are you doing? I thought you were gonna order some food." Lauren asked from the hallway. Peyton and Lucas sprung apart quickly. Peyton glanced at Lauren and was surprised to see an amused smile on her daughters face.

"Ugh, yeah, what do you guys want?" She asked, and busied herself with getting everyone's orders and phoning them in. She made a mental note to talk to Lauren later. She hadn't seen a real smile on her daughters face in months. It was refreshing, even if her timing was slightly annoying.

Once the food was ordered, the girls began setting the table and Peyton joined Lucas on the couch.

"So, where were we?" Peyton asked, cuddling up to Lucas. Lucas wore a pained expression on his face. Peyton pulled back and waited for him to speak.

"I'm really glad that we both still want this, don't get me wrong, but I can't ask you to put your life on hold until mine settles down enough to have time for us." Lucas explained slowly. She wished he would meet her eyes, but he kept his eyes on his hands.

"What are you talking about? You're only going to be gone for two weeks. I think I can handle 2 more weeks." Peyton said lightly. It was just like Lucas to try and be unselfish, but she wasn't having it. She'd waited too long for this man to give up now.

"I know, but what if it doesn't stop there. I mean, I've got another book in the works, with another deadline, and if that ones does well, there will be another tour, and speaking engagements and.." He started, but Peyton put her hand on his arm, signaling him to stop.

"And I'll be there. Through all the meetings and the tours and the girls clamoring for signatures. I'll be there. I'm not going anywhere, Lucas Scott. There is nothing you could say that would make me." Peyton said stubbornly. Lucas turned to her, a smile spreading across his face.

"I was hoping you'd say that." He admitted, caressing her face with the back of his hand.

"What, you don't know how much I love you, silly boy?" She whispered, as their lips met.


	11. Break with the ones you've followed

Disclaimer: I own nothing, but my own characters!

Charity enjoyed spending the week at Lauren's house. She only wished the guilt over kissing Tyler would lessen. It was almost painful to be in the same room as Lauren. Luckily Lauren had been hanging out at Tyler's house quite a bit, so Charity hadn't seem too much of her. Lauren's mom, Peyton, was actually really cool. Peyton had even given her some art lessons.

She was glad that they were leaving for Raleigh today, though. The sooner they got to cheer camp, the happier Charity would be. She had always had so much fun at camp. She was kind of worried about seeing her old squad there, and especially Chloe Stevens. Chloe had come unglued when she'd learned about Charity's stealing Zach's car and totaling it. Luckily, it was close to the end of the school year when it happened. Charity hadn't gone back to school, she'd been in the hospital until after the school year ended. Then they had moved to Tree Hill, so this would really be the first time that Charity would see Chloe since the accident. Just the thought of seeing Chloe made her nervous. She was glad that Lauren would be there with her.

"You aren't packed yet?" Lauren asked incredulously, coming into the room. Charity had been spacing out when she should have been packing.

"Oh, I guess I should get with it, huh?" She asked, setting up on the bed and beginning to fold her clothes.

"So, I just got off the phone and Tyler, Logan and Kyle are going to drive down next weekend. How cool is that?" Lauren asked excitedly as she began stuffing Charity's clothes into her bag. If Charity was totally honest, she was less than thrilled about spending the weekend with Tyler, but she couldn't tell Lauren that.

"Great!" Charity replied with fake enthusiasm. Lauren gave her a look, before continuing with the packing.

"Yeah. So, have you talked to Derek yet?" Lauren asked slowly. Charity groaned softly. Lauren knew that she hadn't. Lauren had been trying to get Charity to talk about Derek all week, and it was really getting old.

"Nope." Charity replied curtly. She didn't want to talk about Derek, she didn't even want to think about him, and she really wished Lauren would quit bringing him up.

"I think Tyler said something about Derek coming to Raleigh." Lauren mumbled, her voice barely above a whisper.

"What!? Why?" Charity screamed, jumping off the bed. A blush was rising in Lauren's cheeks. Charity felt bad for yelling at her, she was only the messenger, after all, but how could Tyler do this to her?

"I don't know, I guess he and Tyler had been planning a summer road trip and I'm sure Tyler meant well, but I guess he invited him to come to Raleigh." Lauren explained, shrugging her shoulders. Charity shook her head in amazement. She failed to see exactly how Tyler meant well, by bringing her cheating dog of an ex-boyfriend to see her at cheer camp.

"Where's the phone?" She asked coldly. She was going to give Tyler a piece of her mind. Lauren tossed her the phone and left the room, so that she could speak to Tyler privately.

Charity was shaking so badly she nearly dropped the phone when she tried to dial Tyler's number. She couldn't remember the last time she'd been this angry, except for the night she broke up with Derek.

"Hello?" Tyler answered. She could hear voices in the background.

"Tyler, please tell me why you think bringing Derek to Raleigh is a good idea?" She asked softly. Her voice was so cold it was giving her chills. Tyler got really quiet on the other end of the line.

"Um, well, I, we, we were supposed to take a road trip this summer and I just thought we might as well use the trip to Raleigh as our road trip." Tyler said, fumbling over his words.

"You never thought that I might not want to see him? That maybe I'd rather throw myself in front of a moving bus, than see him?" She asked, her voice raising with each syllable until she was yelling into the phone.

"Charity, come on, you don't mean that. I know that things aren't cool between you guys right now. I just thought that-" Tyler began.

"No, see that's the problem, Tyler. You didn't think!" Charity cut in, rudely.

"I have enough stress right now! I'm trying to get over Derek, deal with seeing Chloe and probably Zach, and keeping our secret from Lauren, I don't need anything else!" Charity yelled. She hung up the phone and whirled around to see Lauren standing in the doorway.

"Who are Chloe and Zach, and what secret?" Lauren asked icily, her eyes flashing in anger.


	12. Why do I love you

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my own characters!

"Are you deaf? What is this secret that you and Tyler are keeping from me, and who the hell are Zach and Chloe?" Lauren all but screamed at Charity. Whatever was going on between Tyler and Charity, given their history, was not good. Lauren wasn't sure if she was more upset at Tyler or Charity for hiding something from her, but Charity was right in front of her, so she was getting the brunt of Lauren's anger. She wasn't holding up well under it, either. Charity had gone white when she'd spun around and seen Lauren standing in the doorway. Her color had yet to improve and she was stammering like a fool.

"Lauren, I, well, we, um. See, you weren't supposed to hear that. I just, I, I don't want to give anything away, so lets just pretend that you didn't hear anything. Okay?" Charity asked hopefully. Lauren narrowed her eyes suspiciously. She mulled over her sisters words for a moment. She could press the issue, she sure as hell didn't believe anything coming out of Charity's mouth right now, or she could pretend that she did and find out what was going on. She opted for the latter.

"Okay. So who are Zach and Chloe?" Lauren asked, forcing herself to smile and appear calm. This was easier said then done. Her insides were quaking. She desperately wanted to put her fist through the wall and scream at the top of her lungs.

"Zach is my ex and Chloe is his sister. She and I were good friends for a long time. Well, we weren't when I left Raleigh, but we had been. I'm really nervous about seeing her again." Charity explained as she shakily sat down on the edge of the bed, facing away from Lauren. Peyton chose that moment to pop her head in.

"Girls, get your things out to the car. We're ready to head out." She said, eyeing the girls.

"Is something going on that I need to be aware of?" She asked suspiciously, coming into Lauren's room.

"Nope, everything is just peachy. Right Charity?" Lauren asked sweetly. Charity nodded as she stood up and grabbed her haphazardly packed bag.

"Yep, peachy." Charity chimed in weakly. Peyton narrowed her eyes at them, but let it slide. Lauren gave her mother a broad smile as they passed her and headed out to the car. Lauren recalled an old saying that she had once overheard: Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. She intended to do just that.

The ride to Raleigh began in silence. Lauren had nothing to say to Charity and Peyton had already zoned out with her I-pod. Lauren decided to make Charity and Tyler sweat a little. She whipped out her phone and dialed Tyler's number.

"Hey Tyler." Lauren greeted him, loudly enough for Charity to hear her in the back seat.

"Hi. I wasn't expecting to hear from you again today." He replied, mildly surprised. Lauren usually wasn't one to call her boyfriends multiple times a day. In fact, she could go days without calling.

"I know. We're just headed to Raleigh and the drive sucks." Lauren explained lightly.

"Cool. Are you excited? Two whole weeks, surrounded by cheerleaders, man that sounds like heaven to me." Tyler joked. Lauren giggled.

"Oh yeah, ecstatic. So anyway, Charity let me in on a little secret." Lauren said with a devious smile, getting to the real reason she was calling.

"Okay. What secret was that?" Tyler asked, the laughter gone from his voice. Lauren was getting a perverse satisfaction from the fact that Charity had suddenly sat upright at her words and that Tyler had gotten so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

"That her ex-best friend is going to be at cheer camp. What secret did you think I was talking about?" She asked innocently.

"Uh, none, I mean nothing, I didn't think there was any other secret." Tyler said quickly. He was stumbling over his words as badly as Charity had earlier in the day. If Lauren had any doubt that something was going on between the two of them, she didn't any longer.

"Okay, well I think we're going to be stopping soon, so I'll talk to you later." Lauren said quickly. Her anger was quickly dissipating and she didn't want to give Charity or Tyler the satisfaction of seeing her cry. She leaned down and grabbed her own I-pod out of her purse and pulled up an older song that her mother liked. It seemed to fit her current mood. She smiled as "I hate everything about you." By Three Days Grace, filled her ears.


	13. The end of the world as we know it

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my own characters!

**A/N: I wanted to apologize for the lack of updates lately. I've had some family issues, coupled with preparing for this semester at school, I've just been too tapped out to put anything into this story. I opted to wait until I had the extra time before putting something else up. Thank you for your patience, and enjoy!**

The butterflies in Charity's stomach wanted out. As Peyton steered them through the crowds of girls, Charity was sure she was going to be sick. She had thought about just staying in the car for the next two weeks, but she was pretty sure that Peyton would object to that.

"All right girls, I'm going to find out where I need to be, then I'm going to head over to the gallery to meet Mr. Cooper. Do you girls need any help?" Peyton asked as she opened the trunk for them. Charity shook her head. She needed help, but none that Peyton could give. She quickly grabbed her bag and slung it over her shoulder and followed Lauren across the parking lot.

As they stood in line at the registration desk, Charity wavered between searching the crowds for Chloe and her old squad, and willing herself to disappear. She finished signing her registration forms, and glanced around for Lauren. She saw no sign of her. Charity cursed under her breath as they lady at the desk handed her a nametag. She had really been counting on Lauren to be with her when she inevitably saw Chloe.

Sighing, she joined the group of girls who were gathered on the gym floor. She kept her eye out for Lauren, but she didn't see her.

"Charity? Charity Scott?" She heard a familiar voice ask from behind her. Slowly she turned around and came face to face with her former enemy. Skylar Montgomery had been one of the best cheerleaders on her old squad, and she knew it. When Charity had been elected captain at the end of her freshman year, Skylar made it very well known that she didn't agree with the vote. Charity had later found out that she was one of the girls who had been sleeping with Zach while Charity had been dating him. She hadn't seen Skylar, or any of her old friends, since the party that ended with her wrecking Zach's car.

"Don't act like you've forgotten me, Skylar. We both know that you're dumb, but you aren't THAT dumb." Charity replied frankly. Charity grinned at the scowl that replaced the fake smile that had been on Skylar's face.

"What are you doing here? Please, don't tell me that you honestly think you still have a place on my squad after the stunt you pulled?" Skylar laughed disdainfully.

"No, you couldn't pay me to be on _your_ squad. I'm here with the co-captain of my new squad." Charity explained slowly, so that even Skylar would understand. Charity lost a bit of her confidence as a smile slowly appeared on Skylar's face.

"I wonder if Chloe knows that you're here? Probably not, and I know that Zach will be so happy to see you when he comes to visit me next week." Skylar replied, her words dripping with sarcasm. Skylar's words had fully sunken in as she made her way past Charity. In a panic, Charity reached out and grabbed Skylar's elbow.

"Please, don't." She managed to squeak out before Skylar jerked her elbow free and shook her head dismissively. Skylar gave her one last triumphant smile and made her way through the crowd.

Charity forced herself to breathe and think. She'd already messed up by showing weakness. Her former friends preyed on any sign of weakness. She should know, she'd done it too. She needed to find Lauren, she needed to make her aware that she was sure to be included in whatever form of torture Skylar and Chloe came up with for her. Luckily, it wasn't hard.

"Who was that? Was that Chloe?" Lauren asked as she stepped up to Charity. Charity narrowed her eyes. Had Lauren been watching her exchange with Skylar and not done anything to help her?

"Were you watching us?" Charity asked, peering closely at Lauren as she replied.

"I saw you talking to some girl, but I got caught up with some girls I hung out with last year, and by the time I got away, she was gone." Lauren replied, shrugging innocently.

"No, that wasn't Chloe, it was worse. That was Skylar. She and I never got along, and apparently she got my boyfriend and my spot as captain." Charity informed her.

She started to get Lauren up to speed, but before she could, the director of the camp called for attention. Charity zoned out as she listened to the usual welcome speech. She didn't start paying attention until she heard that they would be breaking down into small groups to work. Dread filled Charity's stomach. She hoped, with every fiber of her being, that she would get put in a group with Lauren.

"The small group lists are here on the table, come and find your name and join your group. Each group has a number, each number is hanging up on the wall, join your group there." The director explained. Charity and Lauren slowly made their way to the tables. She crossed every finger she could as she glanced down at the sheets of paper. She scanned them quickly for hers and Lauren's names. She let out a sigh of relief as she saw that she and Lauren were both in group 5.

"We're together, group 5." Charity told Lauren, as she tugged her in the direction of the large number 5 on the far wall. Camp was starting to look up. She'd been so nervous about seeing Chloe, and then Skylar had successfully intimidated her, but none of that mattered now.

"This is great! We're cheering together, and who knows, maybe I won't even see Chloe, or Skylar, I mean there are tons of girls here, right?" Charity rambled, excitedly. She was going on about how excited she was, when she finally noticed that Lauren was tugging on her sleeve and nodding her head in the direction that they were walking.

"What?" Charity asked, following Lauren's gaze. Suddenly Charity felt as if the bottom had fallen out of her world. Directly under the large number 5 stood Skylar and Chloe, waving at her, with matching smirks on their faces.


	14. Trapped in the eyes of a stranger

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my own characters!

Lauren was torn. For a week she'd watched Chloe and Skylar make Charity's life hell. For a week, she'd simply sat on the sidelines and observed. So many times she had wanted to come to Charity's defense, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. Every time she started to get angry and speak up, a little voice in the back of her head reminded her that Charity wasn't her favorite person right now, for good reason. Lauren was convinced that something had happened between Tyler and Charity. Each time she had spoken to Tyler, she dropped Charity's name casually into the conversation and each time, he shut down, end of conversation. His reactions only further proved Lauren's suspicions.

"All right ladies, let's run through the routine one last time." Coach Lee called as she walked over to their group. Lauren sighed as she got into place. Lauren was certain she could do this routine in her sleep, but Coach Lee wanted to win the little competition that was set up for them, so she wanted perfection from her squad. At least Charity was right about Skylar and Chloe being good cheerleaders. They might be obnoxious as all hell, but they could perform. The other two girls on their squad, Kelsey and April were decent, not excellent, but decent.

Finally Coach Lee told them to pack it up for the day. Lauren slowly threw her things into her bag. She had been dreading the end of practice today. It was officially the weekend and Tyler, Kyle, Logan and Derek would be arriving in a matter of hours.

"So Charity, Zach and some friends will be here tonight, can you try not to steal this car and destroy it?" Chloe asked in a sickeningly sweet voice. Skylar laughed loudly behind her. Lauren stole a glance at Charity, as she finished zipping her bag. Lauren was curious as to why Charity had yet to defend herself to these girls. All week, Charity had stayed eerily quiet, ignoring every taunt these two threw at her. It wasn't like her at all.

"Are you ready?" Charity asked her softly, her lips set in a thin line. Lauren nodded and followed her out of the gym. As soon as the doors swung shut behind them, Charity let out a scream of frustration.

"Why don't you say anything to them?" She asked loudly, swinging around to give Lauren a look of disbelief. Lauren raised her eyebrows. She shook her head, she couldn't believe that Charity expected her to handle those two for her!

"Me? You're the one that they're attacking, why don't you stand up for yourself?" Lauren replied indignantly, placing her hands on her hips. Charity shook her head slowly.

"What can I say, Lauren, they're right." Charity admitted, her voice barely above a whisper.

"No, they aren't. You aren't the same person that they knew, Charity. You aren't even the same girl that I met a year ago. Don't let them define you by who you used to be. Show them who you are, stand up to them." Lauren said, stubbornly. Charity gave her a small smile, but shook her head.

"What if I am still that girl?" Charity asked softly, then turned and walked away before Lauren had a chance to reply. Lauren pondered Charity's words and secretly admitted to herself that she could be right. Especially if what Lauren suspected Charity and Tyler had done, was true.

She decided to go for a walk, to clear her head, before Tyler arrived. She was digging through her bag for her I-pod, when she bumped into someone. Her bag slid off of her arm and spilled its contents on the floor. Groaning she bent down to start retrieving her things.

"Do you need a hand?" She heard a soft voice ask. It was then that she looked up and saw the person that she'd bumped into. He was, without a doubt, the best looking guy she'd ever seen. He had light brown hair that curled very slightly at the ends and the lightest blue eyes that reminded her of the ocean.

"Yeah, sure." She said quickly. She tried to put the rest of her things in her bag, but it was hard to do, since she couldn't seen to tear her eyes off of this mystery boy.

"There you go." He said, as he zipped her bag up and handed it back to her.

"Thanks. Oh, and I'm sorry I ran into you, I guess I should pay more attention to where I'm going." She said shyly. She noticed that his eyes twinkled when he smiled.

"Or not, I mean, if you hadn't ran into me, then I wouldn't get to tell my friends about the beautiful girl I met." He said, smiling widely. Lauren felt a blush rising in her cheeks.

"Collins, there you are. Figures that I'd find you with a pretty girl." A blonde guy said, walking up to her mystery boy.

"We ran into each other, I helped her pick up her stuff, it's no big deal." Mystery boy told the blonde.

"It better not be, you know how Sky can get." The blonde said, warningly. Lauren felt her smile drop slightly. It sounded like her mystery boy was taken. Not that it mattered to her, she told herself, after all, she was taken too.

"It was nice to meet you…" Mystery boy trailed off. Lauren realized that she hadn't introduced herself yet.

"I'm Lauren." She said, adjusting her bag nervously. She held out her hand, to shake his.

"Well, it was nice to meet you Lauren. This is Carter, and I'm Zach, Zach Collins." Zach told her. Realization dawned on her. Zach Collins, dating someone named Sky? She bit her lip as she realized that she was staring at Charity's ex-boyfriend. Suddenly, she wished that she had imagined the jolt she had felt as his hand touched hers.


	15. Game On

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my own characters.

Peyton let out a sigh of relief as she pulled her car away from the gym. This last week had been too crazy. Between all the petty fights that she'd had to break up and keeping the girls in after curfew, she was glad to have the weekend to herself. She was also excited about spending some more time with Rich. She didn't want to say it out loud, but she really enjoyed Richard's company. He was pleasant and easy to talk to, and it didn't hurt that he thought her work was fabulous. The last time she had swung by the gallery, he'd suggested that they get together for dinner over the weekend and she'd readily agreed. She hadn't even mentioned it to Lauren, but she was looking forward to spending the evening with him.

The ringing of her phone brought her thoughts away from Richard and back to the present. She felt a surge of guilt as she read Lucas's name on the caller ID.

"Well, hello." She answered, keeping her voice light. The way they had left things before Lucas's tour had given her hope. That hope had dwindled each passing day that he hadn't called.

"Hey Peyton, I was just calling to see how you guys were doing." Lucas asked, his voice sounding soft and tired.

"We're doing fine. How are you? You sound exhausted." Peyton asked, half-listening as she changed lanes.

"I am. They're keeping me busy, that's for sure." He replied. Peyton nodded, knowing he couldn't see her. The silence grew awkward as Peyton fumbled for something to say.

"So, will you be home when we get back?" Peyton finally asked.

"I should be, yes. So far we're staying on schedule." Lucas replied, yawning. Peyton finagled her car into the gallery's small lot. She smoothed down her hair and checked her teeth for lipstick in the mirror.

"Well it was good talking to you. I suppose I'll let you get some rest." Peyton said, as she got out of her car.

"Yeah, I do need to sleep. Bye Peyton." Lucas agreed. Peyton quickly said goodbye and put her phone away. Her smile grew wide as she spotted Rich waiting for her in front of the gallery.

"Peyton, you look lovely." He said, greeting her with a smile.

"Thank you. You don't look half bad yourself." She teased as he bent to kiss her hand. He definitely knew how to make her feel special.

"I pulled a few strings with a friend of mine and managed to get us reservations at one of the cities finest restaurants, and after dinner, I have a surprise planned for you." He informed her, as he took her arm and lead her towards his car. Peyton was pleasantly surprised at the amount of effort Rich had put into this evening for her.

"A surprise? You didn't have to do all that." She said with a smile. Richard held the car door open for her and made sure she was comfortable before he gently shut her door. She forced herself to take a deep, calming breathe before he got in the car. She had to admit that he was setting the bar extremely high especially considering that they were just going out as friends.

"Of course I did, Peyton. I realize we've only known each other for a matter of days, but it feels like I've known you all my life. I'm hoping to give you a reason for more frequent visits to Raleigh, other than just to bring me new work." He admitted with a smile, as he pulled the car onto the road. Peyton bit her lip, nervously. She hadn't told Richard about Lucas. They had discussed their family on the telephone before she and Lucas were recommitted to each other, and the topic hadn't come back up. She felt another pang of guilt as she realized that she hadn't even really thought about Lucas until he'd called earlier.

The restaurant was close by, and they got seated quickly, thanks to Rich's connections. The food was wonderful and their conversation was pleasant. Peyton was having a really good time, even if she did have to keep pushing the guilt away that was slowly creeping in.

"Are you ready for your surprise?" Richard asked as he held out his hand to her. She smiled and placed her hand in his.

"Absolutely." She replied as she followed him out to the car. Richard gave her a wide grin as he held the door for her. He surprised her by guiding her away from the parking lot. She gave him a curious glance, but he only smiled and guided her to the park that neighbored the restaurant they had eaten in.

As they walked down a winding footpath, Peyton could see lights twinkling in the distance. A knowing smile began to form on her face. As they neared, she could hear the soft sounds of classical music. She turned to Richard with an awestruck expression. He had turned a portion of the park into a romantic paradise. He had set up a small table complete with a beautiful bouquet of roses. He had a small radio playing soft music, and the whole area was dimly lit with white lights. It was the most romantic thing anyone had ever done for her.

"Oh Richard, this is amazing." She gushed as she took in her surroundings. Richard grinned.

"Would you like to dance?" He asked, leading her closer to the music.

"If I didn't know better, I'd say that you were trying to sweep me off of my feet, Mr. Cooper." Peyton teased softly as sank into his arms.

"My dear, that is exactly what I'm trying to do." He replied as his lips found hers.


	16. Deep within your soul, you're losing it

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my own characters.

Lauren's heart was still racing from her encounter with Zach. She certainly understood why Charity had fallen for him. She paced nervously in front of the dorm that they were staying in. She hadn't seen Charity since practice and Tyler was supposed to be arriving momentarily.

"Hey, I was waiting for you in the cafeteria, where were you?" Lauren turned, hearing Charity come up behind her. Lauren realized that in her confusion over Zach, she'd completely forgotten to meet Charity for dinner.

"Oh, I forgot. I was just waiting for the guys." Lauren replied, telling only part of the truth.

"So, how do you think we'll do in the competition?" Lauren asked, steering the conversation away from herself. She didn't hear Charity's reply, because the next thing she knew, she was being swung around and hugged, by a pair of strong arms.

"Tyler!" She gasped, as he set her down, grinning. She noticed Charity chatting with Logan and Kyle, but pointedly ignoring Derek and Tyler.

"Did you guys have a good trip?" She asked, after everyone was properly greeted. Tyler rolled his eyes and nodded his head towards Logan and Kyle, who were still standing a few feet away with Charity.

"All that boy did was talk about Charity. The whole drive down." Tyler said, emphasizing each word. Lauren giggled. She knew that Logan had a crush on her sister, she also knew that Charity knew it too. She did notice that Derek had a sour look on his face as he kept glancing between Charity and Logan. She made a mental not to ask Tyler about it later.

"Well come on, lets go and get some dinner." Lauren said, leading the group back to the cafeteria. She dropped back to chat with Logan as they walked.

"So, I hear you have a thing for Charity." She said lightly, as she motioned for them to drop back from the group a bit. She was surprised to see Logan's cheeks color slightly.

"It's nothing, honestly. She's just a really nice person." Logan said weakly, trying to play it off as not a big deal. Lauren simply nodded, not wanting to push the issue, especially since she didn't really know how Charity felt about him.

Just then, her attention was diverted from Logan, by the growing voices ahead of her. Her insides went cold, when she saw Charity sparring with Chloe. Skylar was standing right beside Chloe, waiting for her turn at Charity. She hurried past Kyle and Derek, to where Charity was standing with Tyler by her side.

"This is really getting old. I was hoping that if I kept my mouth shut, the novelty would eventually wear off, but I guess when you have the mentality of a twelve year old, it takes a while." Charity said loudly, rolling her eyes. Lauren appraised the situation, before rushing in. She didn't want to make it seem like Charity couldn't fight her battles, after all.

"Oh, my mistake, I thought you were keeping your mouth shut because we're right. I mean, once a psycho bitch, always a psycho bitch, right?" Chloe asked, making a big show of raising her hands in confusion. It was then that Lauren spotted Zach and his blonde friend making their way towards them. She knew the shit was about to hit the fan. Now it was only a matter of deciding if she wanted to be included in the fallout, or stay out of the way.

"Chloe, put some ice on it, really. Charity is right, it is getting old." Zach said, coming to Charity's defense. Charity looked as shocked as Chloe and Skylar did.

"What the hell? Zach, you aren't seriously defending her?" Skylar screeched loudly.

"What happened last year was between Charity and I. If I want your input, I'll ask for it." Zach said, effectively shutting Skylar up. Lauren started to relax, the situation was deescalating nicely.

"Thanks Zach." Charity said softly. Zach might have defended her, but the look he gave Charity was pure venom.

"I don't want your gratitude, in fact, I'd be happy if I never saw you again." Zach said hatefully. Chloe averted her eyes from his. Lauren noticed Tyler bristling at Zach's words.

"Hey man, I don't know you story, but there's no reason to talk to her like that." Tyler said, putting his arm protectively around Charity.

"You're right, you don't know the story. You probably have no clue how your little girlfriend went completely nuts and stole my car and totaled it, because she was pissed at me. Then she moved half-way across the state, rather than face up to what she'd done. But hey, if you want to defend the little bitch, its your call." Zach replied nastily. Lauren knew Tyler well enough to know that Zach would be lucky to limp away after calling any girl a bitch. She rushed around Tyler and stood between him and Zach.

"Tyler, let it go. Go and get some food, and I'll meet your outside in a few minutes."

"Please!" She added, when Tyler didn't budge. Charity tugged on his arm and he finally walked away, as the group around them dissipated.

"Thanks Lauren. How do you know that guy?" Zach asked, watching Tyler walk away with Derek, Kyle and Logan. She was well aware of Charity's piercing gaze on her.

"He's my boyfriend. I'm Charity's sister." She replied, letting out a breathe she hadn't realized she'd been holding. Zach's eyes widened. He glanced between her and Charity and with one last glance at Lauren, turned and walked away. Lauren did the same, trying to avoid Charity, who was staring holes into the back of her head.


	17. I just want you to know who I am

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my own characters.

**A/N: First, I'm sorry this is such a short chapter, lengthwise. And second, if you read, please review. I really like reading your opinions and ideas. I just want to make sure that there is still interest for this story. Also, I have a fairly new fic up as well. It's called "Drive till you lose the road". It's set in Season 2, and I'm really happy with it thus far. Check it out and let me know what you think! Thanks for everyone that reads and reviews, I appreciate it!**

Charity was shaking with anger. A million questions flashed through her mind, but only one came out.

"How the hell do you know Zach?" She asked, stalking angrily after Lauren. A few steps ahead of her, Lauren sighed and turned around.

"I don't know him, okay? We bumped into each other in the hall today. It was nothing." Lauren explained casually. It might have been nothing to Lauren, but it sure as hell was something to Charity.

"And you couldn't at least mention it?" Charity asked, shaking her head in disbelief. Without waiting for Lauren's reply, she pushed past her and headed outside. She saw Tyler trying to catch her eye, but she kept walking. She wanted to be as far away from Lauren as possible. A few blocks later, she realized that Tyler was following her.

"What do you want?" She asked, not bothering to stop or turn around. He jogged up and fell in step with her.

"I wanted to make sure you were okay. I don't know what happened back there, but it was pretty intense." Tyler noted, watching for her reaction. Charity stopped cold and turned to face him.

"Wow, just call you Captain Obvious. FYI, Zach was telling the truth, I am guilty of everything he said. So why are you still here?" Charity asked coldly. This was how she coped. She turned on everyone she cared about, before they could do the same to her. She had managed to convince herself that it hurt less this way.

"I'm not going anywhere Charity. What happened between you and Zach is in the past. It doesn't affect the way I feel about you." Tyler said, reaching out to squeeze her shoulder.

"And how do you feel about me Tyler? Cause it seems to me that whatever it is we do, its not friendship. It's me messing things up between you and Lauren, over and over again. I wouldn't blame you if you never spoke to me again." Charity replied, her voice shaking. She was scared he was going to do just that. She knew that she'd messed up with Tyler too many times to count, and that she deserved far less than he gave her. She wasn't sure, that if she were in his shoes, that she could be such a good friend to someone who had caused so much trouble.

"I don't know how to describe what I feel for you. It's complicated. All I know is that since the day I met you, I can't imagine my life without you. I love your silliness and your laughter. I love the way you make everything, better. I can be having the worst day and then I'll see you and suddenly, the rest doesn't matter." Tyler explained with a smile. Charity wiped a tear away as she smiled. Tyler leaned down and pulled her into his arms. She buried her head into his shoulder, relishing the feeling of him. She wanted to stay in his arms forever, but she forced herself to remember that he had a girlfriend, and it wasn't her. Slowly she untangled herself from him.

"Thank you." She whispered. Tyler nodded.

"Are you ready to go back?" He asked. She shook her head quickly. She needed some time alone.

"No, but go ahead, I'm going to go for a walk." She said. Tyler squeezed her hand before heading back in the direction they had come. Charity watched him go for a minute, before setting off in the opposite direction.

She could still smell Tyler's cologne, and her hand still tingled from his touch. She had fought so long to keep her feelings for him at bay. She'd practically fallen in love with him the day she'd moved to Tree Hill. The problem had always been that he'd belonged to someone else. Someone that she cared about.

She had started dating Derek with the hopes that he would help her get over Tyler. He hadn't. She had tried to convince herself that she was over him. She'd put on a pretty good show of it, but it that's all it had been, a show. A show that she didn't know how she was going to carry on. His touch had opened the floodgates of her emotions.


	18. Goodbye my hopeless dream

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my own characters.

Peyton awoke the next morning, a smile already on her face. She sighed as she recalled the past evenings events. Richard had been amazingly sweet. At the end of their date, he'd walked her back to her car, kissed her goodbye and left. He hadn't even hinted at wanting to continue the date. She appreciated that. She wasn't entirely sure that she would have had the strength to stop herself, if given the opportunity to go home with Richard.

Forcing herself to get out of bed, she rummaged around for some clothes and headed to the shower. She wished she could just lie in bed all day, reminiscing about her wonderful evening. Unfortunately, real life beckoned. She had some errands to run and then she had her opening night at the gallery. She felt a rush of excitement as she thought of people viewing and commenting on her art. As she dried off, she heard the ringing of her cell phone. She quickly wrapped the towel around her and grabbed her phone off the bed. Caller ID told her that the caller was Lauren.

"Good morning, sweetie." Peyton answered, drying her hair with another towel.

"Morning. I have a problem and I need some advice. I can't really talk to Charity about it, so I'm bugging you." Lauren sighed on the other end.

"You're not bugging me. What's wrong?" She asked, wondering why Lauren couldn't talk to Charity.

"I had this, moment, with a guy. It was, I don't know, different. Anyway, I can't stop thinking about him and normally that wouldn't be a problem, but this guy is more off-limits than the Pope. Not to mention I have a boyfriend." Lauren explained. Peyton chewed her lip, nervously. Fate could be so cruel at times. Lauren was practically describing Peyton's reality.

Peyton stayed silent for a moment, lost in thought. She wanted to tell Lauren to forget about the other guy. She had wanted to be with Tyler for so long, it seemed silly to throw everything away for a guy she barely knew. On the other hand, life could be cruel, sometimes you only had one chance to find your soul mate, and you had to be willing to take risks and forsake everything safe in order to find love.

"I don't know kiddo, you've told me what you think, now tell me what you feel." Peyton said, fishing for more to go on.

"I felt like we were the only ones left in the world and when he touched me, I felt sparks. I know that's corny, but there's no other way to describe it. Of course, then he was an ass, but he had every right to be. If I make a move for this guy, I'll wreck two relationships, with people I really care about, mom." Lauren told her, the raw emotion in her voice made Peyton worry. Lauren usually wasn't one to let her feelings and emotions get the best of her.

"And what about Tyler?" Peyton asked, already knowing the answer.

"It's not like that with him. We're really good friends, we can talk forever, but I've never felt anywhere close to that way about him. Besides, I think he and Charity still have a thing for each other, but he's kinda in the same situation there, with Derek." Lauren said slowly. Peyton knew it wasn't easy for Lauren to make this kind of a decision. She was a fierce friend, she never did anything to hurt her friends, so for her to even consider doing so, was a testament to whatever she felt for this boy.

"Well then, I think you know what to do. I'm sure that everything will work out." Peyton said, feeling like she copping out by giving such random advice.

"No, I know what I'd like to do, but I can't mom. You don't understand, this boy, Zach, he's Charity's ex. She went nuts when they broke up, she stole his car and wrecked it. That's why they moved to Tree Hill. I can't date him! I can't even think about dating him!" Lauren exclaimed. Peyton started to interject, but was cut off by Lauren.

"I shouldn't even be talking about this. I've got to go, I love you." Lauren said in a rush. Peyton heard the phone click and knew that Lauren was gone. Her shoulders slumped as she closed her phone. She wished she could have given Lauren some better advice. She knew why she couldn't. It was because she knew exactly how her daughter felt.

The rest of the day she replayed her conversation with Lauren, in her head. She finally forced herself to stop, as she pulled into the gallery parking lot. Tonight was her opening night. She wanted to relish the feeling.

"Peyton, I'm so glad you're here, there's a famous author who wants to buy one of your originals!" Richard exclaimed, rushing over to her as she entered the crowded gallery. A huge grin spread across her face. She allowed herself to be pulled away by Richard. He protectively put his arm around her waist as they made their way through the crowds. They approached the man, who was engrossed in one of her drawings.

"Excuse me, Mr. Scott, I wanted to introduce you to the artist you're so enamored with." Richard said, tapping the man on the shoulder. Peyton's jaw dropped in disbelief as Lucas turned around, giving her a huge smile. She leapt into his arms, throwing her arms around his neck.

"Lucas! What are you doing here?" She exclaimed, unwilling to let him go.

"Did you really think I'd miss this? Don't you know how much I love you, silly girl?" Lucas asked, stroking her cheek. As he bent his head to kiss her, that's when she noticed Richard, walking away dejectedly, out of the corner of her eye.

"What's wrong?" Lucas asked, as he pulled away. She tried to smile, but she knew it wasn't reaching her eyes.

"Nothing. I'm glad you're here." She said softly, glancing at Richard's retreating back.


	19. New beginnings

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my own characters!

Lauren slammed her phone shut angrily. She had hoped that her mom would have the perfect answer, but she had left Lauren right where she'd started, confused. She glanced around the quad, outside the cafeteria, but there was still no sign of Tyler or Charity. She automatically assumed the worst.

"When did everything get so messed up?" She muttered to herself as she sat down against the building.

"When we noticed the opposite sex." Derek quipped, sitting down beside her. She gave him a rueful smile. She and Derek had never really been close, even when he'd gone to Tree Hill. He'd been Tyler's friend, but other than seeing him at school, a game or the random party, they'd never talked.

"So, how are you?" She asked awkwardly. She knew that it was his cheating that had caused Charity to break up with him, but she'd seen the way he'd jealously eyed her and Logan.

"I have good days and bad. I just wish she'd talk to me, so I could explain." He shrugged, staring at the ground.

"What is there to explain? You cheated on her, she found out, she dumped you." Lauren replied, ticking off the list on her fingers. Derek shook his head and gave her a sad smile.

"Except that I didn't cheat on her. She pissed me off, assuming that I did, so I didn't correct her. I was mad and it was stupid, but I figured she already had her mind made up." Derek admitted softly.

"What? But Tyler said you went home with one of those slutty girls?" Lauren asked, her disbelief etched on her face.

"I did, but that was after Charity had already broken up with me. Nothing happened though, she tried, but I shut her down. She wasn't Charity." Derek replied bitterly. Lauren raised her eyebrows. She wondered if this news would change anything. She looked away from Derek and saw Zach wandering around a few yards away.

"Hey, I'll be right back." Lauren said as she hurried over to Zach. She wanted to talk to him without Chloe or Skylar present.

"Hey." She said as she approached him. He smiled as she walked closer. That was a start, right?

"Hey, I'm sorry about the drama in there. I don't know if you knew all that about Charity, I'm assuming you did since she's your sister. I didn't know she had a sister." Zach said, giving her a confused glance.

"She didn't either, we didn't find out about each other until she moved to Tree Hill." Lauren informed him.

"Oh, I see. Anyway, I guess you know that Skylar's my girlfriend then huh?" He asked darkly.

"Yeah, I know. She's kind of a bitch." Lauren admitted, her cheeks growing red from embarrassment. What was she thinking, insulting his girlfriend?

"Yeah, I know." He agreed. Lauren let out a nervous giggle.

"Then why do you date her?" She asked. She couldn't imagine dating someone that she didn't like.

"I guess I never had a good reason to break up with her, until now. It's just always been easier to stay with her, then to deal with all the fallout." He said, shrugging.

"Until now?" She asked, her stomach doing somersaults. She wanted to laugh at herself for being this into a guy she had just met.

"Yeah, I've met this amazing girl. I can't get her out of my head. It's crazy, because I just met her, but I really want to get to know her better. I hope she feels the same." He said, giving her a pointed look.

"I'm sure any girl would be happy to get to know you." She whispered, not trusting her voice.

"I don't care about any girl, just this girl." He said sweetly, reaching his hand out to hers. As he touched her hand, she felt the electricity zinging through her body.

"Well, I know that this girl definitely wants to get to know you better." She told him, fighting the goofy grin that was growing on her face.

"That's what I wanted to hear." He said, interlacing his fingers in hers. As they set off down the sidewalk, Lauren noticed Tyler coming towards them. They locked eyes for a moment, before he glanced down at her hand, that was still firmly holding Zach's. He stopped, and gave her a knowing look as they passed. Lauren glanced back, but Tyler had already disappeared around the corner. It was weird, but she knew they had just agreed to end their relationship. There was no need for drama, not even any need for words, that was just how it was with them.


	20. So hard to believe

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my own characters!

Peyton tried to enjoy the rest of her evening. She really did, but every time she locked eyes with Richard, she felt another pang of guilt. Her problem was discerning whether she felt guilty for having kissed Rich or for being with Lucas.

"Are you about ready?" Lucas asked softly. She glanced around and saw that most of the people had already gone. If they didn't leave soon it would end up being just them and Richard in the gallery. Peyton had her fill of awkwardness for the day, so she nodded. She disengaged herself from Lucas and headed to the coatroom to retrieve her jacket and bag.

"Peyton." Richard said softly, as the door swung shut behind her. She jumped at the suddenness of his appearance.

"Richard, hi." She greeted him, lamely. She had wanted to avoid this tonight.

"I wish you would have told me about Lucas. It would have saved me some heartache." He admitted, helping her into her jacket.

"Me too." She whispered, turning to face him. She fought the tears that were threatening to spill. Why did she have to meet someone so perfect for her when she was finally back with her high school love?

Peyton reluctantly pulled out of Richard's grasp and left the room. She wanted to glance back at him, to apologize, but she knew if she didn't end this with a clean break, she wouldn't end it at all. She had to be fair to Lucas, she had to give them a chance, a real chance.

"Did you get lost?" Lucas joked as she rejoined him. She forced a smile onto her face.

"Yeah, I walked through the wardrobe and saw a talking lion." She teased. Lucas chuckled, as they exited the gallery.

"Are you here for the night, or do you have to get back?" She asked softly, as they neared her car.

"Do you want me to stay?" He asked as the stood next to her car. She leaned against in and pulled him close to her.

"Do you really need to ask me that?" She whispered, as he bent to kiss her neck. He looked at her with the patented Scott smirk on his face.

"I hoped you'd say that." He admitted, holding the car door open for her. She felt a flash of anger as he held the door for her. She hesitated slightly before getting in. Richard had done the same thing for her last night, and she'd found it romantic. Yet, here was Lucas doing the same thing and she wanted to tell him that she was perfectly capable of opening her own door.

She bit her tongue, as Lucas got in the passenger side. The drive back to her hotel room was done in silence. Peyton lost herself in her thoughts, trying to discover why Richard affected her so very much. The only thing that she could come up with was that there wasn't any bad feelings or memories associated with him. With Richard, she could be the Peyton Sawyer that she had grown to be. With Lucas, she felt trapped as the Peyton Sawyer that she was. She sighed, wishing that her life could be slightly less complicated.

"Everything okay over there?" Lucas asked her as they pulled into the hotel parking lot.

"Yeah, I'm just tired. Today was a long day." She lied, giving him a small smile. The last thing that she wanted was to have doubt creep in, but it had, and she was determined not to let it destroy what she had.

She grabbed Lucas's hand as they walked up to the hotel. He smiled and gave her hand a squeeze. The walked hand in hand all the way to her room. She forced her mind to stop, and just concentrated on enjoying being with Lucas.

"Nice room." Lucas teased as they entered her room. She laughed when she saw the mess that she'd left behind. It had taken her countless different changes of clothes before she'd settled on something she was sure would impress Richard. She mentally kicked herself for allowing Rich back into her thoughts. She quickly grabbed up her clothes and threw them back into her suitcase. By then, Lucas had already kicked off his shoes and plopped down on the bed.

"Don't be shy. Make yourself comfortable." She joked as she kicked her shoes off and joined him. She snuggled into him, enjoying the feel of his arms around her, and most especially enjoying the smell of his cologne. She had always loved the way he smelled. She moaned as he began to kiss her neck again. He sat up and slowly unbuttoned his shirt and threw it aside. She grinned and sat up, kissing him hungrily. She was just getting into things when she heard her phone ringing.

"Ignore it." Lucas murmured, trailing kisses down her collar bone. She rolled her eyes and lightly pushed him away.

"Its nearly midnight, who could it be?" She muttered as she searched her bag for her phone. Finally she grabbed it and flipped it open.

"Hello?" She asked curiously, not recognizing the number.

"Mr. Scott please." A woman asked on the other end. Peyton handed the phone to Lucas, mirroring his bewildered look on her own face. She leaned in close to him so that she could hear the conversation as well.

"Mr. Scott, I'm sorry to call and tell you this, but you need to get to St. Francis Hospital quickly. Your daughter has been in an accident." The woman said.


	21. Tides Turn

**A/N: I am so sorry for the delay. I'm taking English, algebra, psychology and geography this semester, and in the last 4 weeks I've had 5 papers due and 10 math assignments. I will be trying to update on the weekends, from here on out, but I wanted to ease the suspense, so here you go. J**

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my own characters!

Lauren paced the floor, trying to tune out the voices on the intercom and all the sirens. She glanced at her watch, frustrated to see that only 3 minutes had passed since the last time she'd checked it. Her impatience was beginning to show as she waited for her mom and dad. What was taking them so long?

"Lauren?" She heard her mother call. She turned and saw her mother and Lucas barreling down the stark hallway.

"Mom!" She exclaimed, rushing forward. She fell into her mother, finally allowing herself to cry.

"Sweetie, what happened? Where is Charity, is she okay?" Her mother asked, gently pulling away slightly. Lauren slowly opened her eyes and took a deep breath before recalling the nights events.

"Zach and I walked over to the park. We were standing on the sidewalk, talking, and the next thing I knew, Charity came flying up, pushing me down. Then I heard her scream, and that's when I saw the car. It was too late for me to do anything. All I could do was watch the car hit her." Lauren sobbed. It was as if speaking about the events of the night made them more real. Lucas's voice broke the cycle of images that were replaying in her head.

"I've got to find a doctor and see what's going on." He said, rushing off. Peyton sank into a hard plastic chair, looking completely lost. Lauren couldn't look at her mother when she looked like that, so she wandered around the corner and down another hallway.

She wandered aimlessly until she came to another waiting area. She was surprised to see Zach sitting in a chair alone. In the chaos that had ensued after the accident, she'd somehow lost track of him. She had known that he was alright, Charity had shoved him down with Lauren.

"Zach? What are you doing here? Are you alright?" She asked quietly, sitting down beside him. He turned to her, a blank expression on his face.

"She's dead." He whispered hoarsely. Lauren stared at him, dumbfounded.

"Who's dead, Zach?" She asked slowly. He couldn't be talking about Charity, could he?

"Chloe. My sister is dead, and its all my fault." He said slowly, without turning to look at her.

"How? I don't understand." Lauren asked, feeling as if she were missing something.

"It was Skylar's car that hit Charity. I guess she saw us and snapped. She freaked out and took off. Chloe jumped in with her. I don't know what happened after that, but the cops said it looked liked Chloe tried to yank the wheel at the last minute, but it was too late." He explained, burying his head in his hands. Lauren gently rubbed his back as he sobbed. She wished that she was anywhere but here.

"I'm sorry, I have to go." She said quickly, as she jumped up from the chair and ran out of the room. She felt like she couldn't breath. She had to get out of the building. She needed air. She ran down the hallway towards the doors. She stumbled out into the sun and right into Tyler.

"Lauren, are you alright?" He asked, grabbing her arms to steady her. She shook her head as the tears poured down her cheeks.

"I can't stay here. I can't just sit here and wait. It's driving me crazy!" She sobbed loudly into Tyler's shoulder. He stroked her hair until she was calmer. She pulled back and wiped her eyes.

"I'd better go and check on my mom and dad." She murmured, heading back inside.

"I'll come with you." Tyler offered, squeezing her hand. She gave him a small smile and leaned into him as they walked down the long, white hallway.

"Lauren, where have you been? I've been looking everywhere for you!" Peyton exclaimed as they turned the corner into the waiting area.

"I needed some air. What's going on?" She asked, noticing the urgency in her mothers tone.

"Charity's out of surgery. The doctors said that when she wakes up, she'll be fine." Peyton nearly shouted, hugging Lauren and Tyler. Lauren grinned at Tyler as Peyton released them. She saw movement out of the corner of her eye. Turning, she saw Zach standing in the doorway. He nodded, shoved his hands in his pocket, and walked away.


	22. Images

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my own characters!

Charity slept restlessly. She was stuck in a never-ending nightmare. The loop of images didn't change. She saw Lauren and Zach, walking away from her and Tyler walking towards her. Past him, she saw a car driving erratically. She tried to call out to them, but she couldn't make a noise. She took off at a sprint, hurtling past Tyler, and down the sidewalk. She didn't think she was going to make it in time. She thought about calling out to Lauren again, but she couldn't waste the energy. Then the images slowed. She saw herself stretching her arms out, and launching herself at Lauren and Zach. They both fell to the ground with a thud. She slowly turned her head and saw the car, practically on top of her. The last thing she saw was someone flying through the air, above her. Then the images would start again.

She tried calling out, screaming. She wanted to stop seeing these terrible things. She heard someone calling her name. She tried to turn around and see who was calling for her, but she couldn't. She was trapped in a body she couldn't control. She started to panic.

"Charity? If you can hear me, squeeze my hand." Dr. Leaver requested loudly. She heard the voice breaking through the scene before her. She concentrated all her thought on moving her hand. Suddenly she felt like she was being sucked into a black hole. Her vision swirled, and she felt like she was flying.

"Dad?" Charity croaked softly, as she slowly pulled her eyes open. She blinked a few times, trying to adjust her eyes to the light in the room.

"I'll get your father in a moment. I'm Dr. Leaver. I'm glad to finally see you awake." Dr. Leaver smiled. Charity tried to smile back at her, but it hurt to badly. She was suddenly aware of just how badly her whole body ached.

"I bet you're going to be feeling pretty sore. The impact shattered your pelvis. We put in 4 bolts, but you aren't going to be up dancing for quite a while!" Dr. Leaver joked. Charity realized that what she had seen in her dreams hadn't been a dream. She felt like she'd been ran over because she had.

"Lauren. How's my sister?" She whispered frantically. Lauren had to be okay. She could remember seeing her hit the ground.

"Your sister is fine. She's waiting with your parents. I'm going to go and let them know that you're awake." The doctor said, giving her a smile as she left the room. A few minutes later the door opened and a nurse came in, bringing her a pitcher of water. Charity gulped it down quickly. She felt like her throat had been stuffed full of cotton.

"Charity?" Her father asked, pushing the door open. A grin broke across her face. It hurt like hell, but she didn't care.

"Dad! I'm so glad to see you. Is mom here?" She asked, wincing slightly as her father hugged her gingerly.

"Not yet. Her plane was due to land about fifteen minutes ago, so I'm sure she'll be here any minute." He replied, stroking her hair.

"Peyton is waiting at the entrance for her, and Lauren and Tyler are waiting outside to see you." He informed her, pacing the room.

"Can they come in?" She asked sheepishly. She loved her dad, but he tended to worry too much. It made her nervous.

"Of course. I'll get them." He replied, kissing her forehead before leaving the room. Charity kept her eyes glued to the door as she waited. A few minutes later it opened, and a smiling Lauren came in, followed by Tyler.

"Lauren, I'm so glad to see you! Everyone said you were okay, but I thought maybe they were just saying that so I wouldn't worry." Charity laughed. Lauren shook her head, smiling.

"Thanks to you, Zach and I are just fine." Lauren said, coming over to squeeze Charity's hand.

"Zach is okay too? That's good. What about the people in the car? What happened?" She asked, curiously. She thought that she'd seen someone flying out of the car, but she didn't know if that had really happened or if she imagined it.

"Uh, Well, that's not such good news." Lauren admitted slowly, glancing back at Tyler for support.

"Yeah, lets not worry about that right now. How are you feeling?" Tyler asked, trying to change the subject.

"I hurt, obviously. You guys are hiding something, I know it." Charity said, unwilling to let it go. Lauren let out a sigh, but started to speak.

"Skylar and Chloe were in the car. Skylar was driving and lost control. Chloe tried to grab the wheel to advert a crash, but she couldn't get control. Skylar is still in surgery and Chloe didn't make it to the hospital." Lauren finished softly.

"What? No, that's not possible." Charity stated adamantly. She began to shake her head, refusing to believe that Chloe was dead.

"Charity, we wouldn't lie about this. I'm sorry." Tyler said solemnly. He sat down beside her and held her as she began to sob.

"I'm going to go and find Zach." Lauren said, leaving them alone.

Charity couldn't believe that Chloe was really dead. She had just spoken to her hours ago. It just didn't seam real.

"I was so scared Charity. I tried to stop you, but you had a head start. I thought I was going to lose you." Tyler whispered into her ear as he stroked her hair.

If she hadn't been so distraught about Chloe, she might have pressed him to elaborate on his comment, but the thought didn't even cross her mind.


	23. Life is now

-1**Disclaimer: I own nothing but my own characters.**

Lauren wondered aimlessly down the stark, white hallways. Too much had occurred in too small a space of time. Her brain needed time to process everything that had happened. That would have to happen later though, as she spotted Derek running recklessly towards her.

"Lauren! Where's Charity? Is she okay?" He called breathlessly as he sped towards her.

"Yeah, she's gonna be fine. Her room is down that way." She told him, pointing the way.

"You're welcome." She called after him softly, as he hurried away without another word. Lauren suddenly felt very alone. The feeling struck her so suddenly and swiftly that she didn't have time to stop the tear that slid down her cheek. She just needed someone to talk to, a shoulder to cry on, but she had no one. She didn't want to bother her parents. Lauren knew that her mother would make time for her, but Charity needed them now. She didn't have Tyler any longer, she didn't even have Jenny anymore. She couldn't remember the last time that she and Jenny had even spoken. She was well and truly alone. Thinking about Jenny made Lauren long to be home in Tree Hill. At least then she could be alone in her own bed. The idea of hopping on a bus to Tree Hill crossed her mind. No, she couldn't do that, could she?

Without pausing, Lauren spun on her heel, jogged back down the hallway to the waiting area. She crossed her fingers, hoping that the room would be empty. She pushed open the door and glanced around. Derek was sitting in a chair facing the wall. She crept in and grabbed her purse and jacket off the coat rack.

"Where are you going?" He asked, without even turning around. Lauren debated whether she should just leave or stay and make small talk. She figured it would look pretty suspicious if she didn't at least answer his question.

"Oh, I thought I would go and get something to eat." Lauren lied, quickly heading towards the door. To her surprise, Derek stood up and walked toward her.

"That's a good idea, mind if I join you?" He asked politely, as he opened the door for her. Lauren cursed under her breath. Ten minutes ago she was on the verge of a emotional breakdown because she was lonely, and now she had company that she didn't want.

"Sure." She replied with a smile. As they walked down the hallway, Lauren wracked her brain for any excuse to get away.

"I saw Charity. She looks good." Derek said, breaking the silence. Lauren glanced at him, from the corner of her eye. If he'd seen Charity, then Lauren was betting that he'd seen her with Tyler. Normally, she would have pressed him for details and tried to make him feel better, but Derek was always strangely quiet around her and she was pressed for time anyway.

"Yeah, she'll be back to her old self before we know it." Lauren said brightly. She had walked a few feet away before she realized that Derek wasn't with her still. She turned around and saw him holding open the door to the cafeteria.

"Hopefully she's not the only one." He joked as Lauren gave him a sheepish smile and walked back to him. As they entered the door, the smell of food made Lauren's mouth water. The day had been so long that she couldn't remember if she'd eaten today or not. She stole a quick peek at her watch and tried to decide if she had time to grab something.

"Lauren, are you coming?" Derek called, as he joined the line. She probably didn't have time to eat, but her stomach was over ruling her. She quickly joined Derek and grabbed some food. She quickly paid and followed him to a table.

"I can't believe you are going to eat all that." He said, with an amused smile on his face. Lauren frowned, looking down at her tray. She only had some nachos with cheese, a salad, a bag of chips and two cookies. Shrugging, she dug in.

They ate in silence and when they were done, Derek took their trays up. Lauren thought about ditching him while he was away from the table, but that seemed a little harsh.

"So, do you really want to stay here?" He asked, holding his hand out to her. She raised her eyebrow at him, giving him a questioning look.

"I mean, I'm sure you want to be here with Charity, but I have my car at the hotel, and I was thinking of heading back to Tree Hill. It would suck to go alone though." He added, with a shrug.

"I really should stay here, but my parents are here and Charity's mom is on her way and she's got…" Lauren broke off, with a quick glance to Derek.

"Tyler." Derek finished curtly, as he dropped his hand.

"Yeah…" She trailed off. Her mind was racing, trying to weigh the pros and cons of staying and being miserable or leaving and being punished beyond belief.

"Let's do this." She said firmly as she grabbed Derek's hand. For once, she wanted to live in the moment and to hell with the consequences.


	24. Darklit place

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my own characters!

Charity let Tyler hold her as she cried and mourned the loss of her first best friend. As the sobs slowly subsided, Charity pulled back slightly and noticed movement outside of her door. Her eyes locked with Derek's for just a moment before he was gone.

"Was that Derek?" Charity asked, craning her neck around Tyler as she tried to get a better look. Tyler went over to the door and pushed it opening, glancing down the hallway.

"It might have been, but he's gone now." Tyler replied, coming back into the room.

"Why would he come and see me? He cheated on me, he can't care that much." Charity asked bitterly. She looked up at Tyler and noticed the odd look on his face.

"What?" She asked, wondering why he looked so torn.

"Derek didn't actually cheat on you." Tyler admitted, slowly. He eased himself down beside her on the bed.

"What are you talking about Tyler? You're the one who told me that he and Miss Bear Creek were a little more "involved" then they let on." Charity asked pointedly.

"The night that you guys broke up he took Amy home with him. He says nothing happened though." Tyler said, shrugging. Charity stared at him, she was at a loss for words. With everything that had happened so far today, she really needed someone she could trust and now, she wasn't so sure that that person was Tyler.

"Could you please go?" Charity asked softly, laying back against her pillow. When Tyler turned to face her, she turned her face away from him. What she really wanted to do was to ask him if he had lied to keep her and Derek apart, but she was far too tired, emotionally and physically, to fight today. She let her eyes close, and fought the urge to call out to him, when she felt his weight lift from the bed. As the door closed behind him, the sob that had built in her throat found its way out. She cried for Chloe, for her own broken body, but mostly she cried in frustration. She wanted more than anything to get up and DO something. She wanted desperately to find Zach and offer him some comfort, she wanted to go after Tyler and demand an explanation, she wanted to talk to Derek and find out the truth, but most of all she wanted to not be here, lying in this bed, doing nothing.

"Charity? I saw Tyler leave, do you need anything? Your mom will be here in about an hour." Peyton said, giving her a small smile from the doorway.

"Can you snap your fingers and heal me?" Charity asked sarcastically. Peyton raised her eyebrow, but shook her head.

"No, well then I guess I don't need anything that you can give me." Charity continued, her voice hard.

"Charity, I know this sucks, but.." Peyton began.

"No, you don't know. My life is falling down around me and I can't do anything about it!" Charity said loudly, cutting Peyton off. Peyton opened her mouth to respond, when the door flew open and Brooke rushed in, pushing Peyton back.

"Mom?" Charity asked in surprise as Brooke hurried over to Charity.

"Sweetie, are you okay?" Brooke asked, her voice shaking. Charity nodded and hugged her mother tightly.

"I thought you were over an hour away?" Peyton asked, cocking her head to the side. Brooke turned, narrowing her eyes at Peyton.

"I have connections. I called in a favor and got Jake and I bumped to a quicker flight." She replied icily.

"Jake is with you?" Peyton asked, paling slightly, before she hurried out of the room.

"Mom, you didn't have to do that. I'm fine. A few months of physical therapy and I'll be good as new." Charity said. She really hoped her mother didn't plan to be this fussy over her the entire time that she was her.

"I know. It's just that, I can't lose you Charity. I've already lost your father. You're all I have left." Brooke admitted tearfully, as she hugged Charity tightly again.

"I'm not going anywhere, Mom." Charity replied, her words true in more than one sense.


	25. I've been so hollow

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my own characters!

Peyton shut the door to Charity's room and leaned against the wall. She knew that Brooke would swoop in, in normal Brooke fashion, and take over. She hadn't counted on her bringing Jake along, though. Peyton hadn't spoken to Jake in months. The pain she felt when she heard his name was sharper than she had imagined it would be.

"Peyton, are you okay?" Lucas asked, rushing over to her. His sudden presence surprised her, she hadn't even seen him coming down the hallway.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just feeling a little light-headed. I think I'm going to go and get some air." Peyton lied, pushing herself away from the wall and away from Lucas.

"Oh, Brooke's here." She added, before she turned and walked away. She didn't want to hang around and be forced to watch Brooke and Lucas together.

What she really wanted was for life to be just a little less complicated. She still hadn't sorted things out with Rich yet, and here she was, getting nostalgic for another past relationship. She wished that she and Lucas could take their children and go away, somewhere where ex's and former best friends didn't exist. Peyton sighed, knowing there was no where on Earth that they could go, when what haunted her the most were her memories.

The ringing of her cell phone startled Peyton. She let out a low groan as she read the name on the caller ID. It was Rich. She wanted to leave things in a better place between them, but she didn't want to do it right now. Right now, she wanted to get out of this building without running into Jake Jagelski. She quickly turned the phone off and shoved it down to the bottom of her purse. She glanced around the corner, making sure the coast was clear before she tried to make a break for it.

"Peyton? I didn't know if you would be here or not." Jake called, coming out of the waiting room at the worst possible time. Peyton froze in mid-stride and tried to figure out how to proceed.

"Hey, Jake." She replied, sure he would recognize the fakeness in her bright tone. The silence grew awkward, as neither of them felt comfortable taking the conversation past pleasantries.

"So, I haven't talked to you in awhile. How is everything going?" Jake asked, staring beyond her shoulder.

"Um, yeah, sorry about that. I've been pretty busy. Things are good though. I have some of my art displayed in a gallery here." She rattled on, nervously. She tried to discreetly wipe her sweaty hands on her pants, but she was sure Jake noticed.

"Wow, congratulations. I always knew that someone would discover your art someday." Jake nodded with a smile.

"Thanks." Peyton replied with a shrug. She was dying to ask about Jenny, and to ask if Jake could ever really forgive her, but it seemed like too much and she didn't want to scare him.

"Well, I guess I'll talk to you later." Peyton finally said and reluctantly turned and continued walking out of the building. She realized, as she sank down on the bench beside the door, that she was actually shaking. She shook her head in an attempt to clear it. Peyton couldn't understand why talking to Jake had that affect on her. Their relationship had ended a long time ago. She didn't feel that he should still have that much power over her. Seeing Jake made her remember all the things that she had once loved about him. It made her wonder why she had ever ended their relationship in the first place. Peyton felt like she had come so far in the past year. She had gone from being a scared shell of her former self, to a happy, content person. These feelings she had now were threatening to destroy the new life that she had built.


	26. Growing up is hard to do

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my own characters!

Lauren glanced at Derek, in the dimness of the interior lights of the car. Darkness had set many hours ago, and it seemed that Derek had been asleep for the majority of them. This was fine with Lauren; she preferred the tranquility of driving at night, when there was no other traffic. These precious few hours that she'd had to herself were spent in thought. Her life was not where she had thought that it would be, at this point. Here she was, almost seventeen years old, and she didn't even know who she was, let alone who she wanted to be. She had always assumed that she would be a cheerleader, pretty and popular, with all the trappings that came with the social position. Namely, a hot boyfriend, cool friends and a great reputation. She laughed aloud, as she thought of how naïve she had once been. At some point, in the last two years, her view of herself had shifted from what she was, to who she was. If she had learned nothing the past two years, she had at least learned that life was far more complicated than she had previously given it credit for. The dreams and goals that she had once had for herself now sounded petty, juvenile and shallow. She struggled to remember the person that she had been, much as she struggled to define the person that she wanted to become. She had wanted to be well liked; now the only opinions that mattered to her were hers, and those of her close friends and family. She had wanted a hot boyfriend, now she knew that looks came in a distant second to the person inside of the body. She sighed loudly, wishing she could turn her thoughts off for a little while.

"Where are we?" Derek mumbled, stretching his neck out as he sat up.

"We're about halfway there. I didn't wake you did I?" She asked, hoping that she hadn't.

"No, you're fine. Is there somewhere we can stop for awhile?" He asked, scanning the signs that flew by.

"Yeah, I think there is rest stop at this exit coming up." She replied as she quickly changed lanes.

"Cool. So, I'm sorry I've been such sucky company." Derek apologized, with a smile and shrug.

"Its fine, I actually was glad for the time to think. Everything has been so…intense lately." She said, trying to find a word that would convey her feelings accurately. Derek nodded, and to Lauren's surprise he picked her hand up and squeezed it. Her stomach immediately filled with butterflies. She could feel the goose bumps rising on her arms, as he slowly pulled his hand back. Not knowing what to say, nor even if she wanted to admit her feelings to herself, she concentrated on expertly exiting the interstate and navigating the vehicle into the parking lot of the rest stop.

After they had freshened up and grabbed some snacks, they sat together in the open room inside the rest stop. Lauren amused herself by looking at all the maps that hung on the walls. She repeatedly fought the urge to glance at Derek. Even though she wouldn't allow herself to look at him, she could recall, in wondrous detail the exact shade of his brown eyes and the way his hair curled up at a funny angle in the back from the way he had been sleeping.

"So why did you decide to come home with me?" He asked, breaking the silence. Lauren chewed her lip. She didn't know what to tell him, she wasn't even sure that she knew exactly why she had come.

"I don't know. I guess I just needed to get away. It's just seemed that lately my identity is either tied to Charity or Tyler. Like I'm either Charity's sister or I'm Tyler's girlfriend. I just wanted to be Lauren for a little while." She shrugged, as she tried to read the expression on his face. She was sure that he probably thought she was a little crazy by now.

"I've noticed that." Derek nodded, smiling at her sympathetically.

"Why is it that we've never hung out before? I mean, when you went to Tree Hill, weren't you and Tyler really good friends?" Lauren asked, changing the subject.

"Yeah, we were, we still are. And you just proved a point of mine, by the way. I've always said that if you have girlfriend, no one notices you." Derek replied, amusedly.

"Oh. Yeah, I guess you're right. We didn't really pay much attention to the guys that were taken." Lauren admitted. She wasn't sure if the blush she felt rising in her cheeks, was due to her embarrassment over the way she had once acted, or if it had more to do with the way that Derek was looking at her.


	27. Sinking over time

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my own characters!

Shaking her head, Charity flipped her phone shut. She couldn't believe that Lauren had abandoned her. She'd been lied to, if only by omission, by Tyler, abandoned by Lauren and smothered by her mother, all in the span of twelve hours. Right now, all she wanted was a friend, and yet, she had no one.

"Like always." Charity muttered under her breath. She glanced up as the door swung open.

"Charity, the doctors say that you can be transported back to Tree hill, now that you're awake. They're getting the ambulance ready now." Lucas said, walking into the room. Brooke followed him in, and began bagging up the things that were strewn about the room.

"Great!" Charity replied, her tone obviously fake. Lucas frowned at her, as he made his way closer to her bed.

"Charity, I know this isn't easy. I know that you're hurting right now. I'll do anything in my power to make this easier for you, but I won't walk on eggshells around you and I won't tolerate you verbally abusing your friends and family." Lucas said sternly, never shifting his gaze from her. Charity nodded and looked away.

"Do you want your mother or me to ride with you? Or how about Tyler or Lauren?" Lucas asked. Charity simply shook her head. She had no desire to spend the ride home making small talk.

"Alright, well, I'm going to go and let Peyton and Lauren know that we're leaving." Lucas sighed, patting her hand before he turned away from her bed.

"Lauren's in Tree Hill. She found a ride back last night." Charity stated tonelessly, purposefully making it sound worse than it was. Lucas gave Charity a long look and headed out the door.

"Charity, honey, please don't lash out. I know that you're angry, but trust me, you don't want to push away the people who love you." Brooke spoke up softly, from the other side of the room.

"Right, because you have so many people left that love you." Charity replied sarcastically. She gave her mom a cold stare and then turned away from her. As Charity closed her eyes, a tear slipped down her cheek. Charity was too much like her mother in this respect. When someone hurt her, she hurt back. She didn't know any other way. She wished more than anything that she could apologize to her mom and dad, and Peyton, but she didn't have the courage to admit that she had wanted to hurt them.

She heard the door open and knew that her mom had left the room. Charity kept her eyes closed, hoping sleep would come, but before she could get to sleep the orderlies came in and began to wheel her bed down the hallway. After she had been transferred into the ambulance, and felt it pull away from the hospital, she opened her eyes, hoping that someone had come with her. She took in the sterile atmosphere of the ambulance. The realization that she was truly alone, and she had no one to blame but herself, came crashing down on her.

"Are you riding all alone? Where is your family?" The nurse asked, coming back to check her vitals. Charity gave him a once over. He looked like he was barely out of high school, let alone old enough to have gone though college. Charity wished she had run a brush through her hair, instead of throwing it up in a bun, before she left the hospital.

"Yeah, I'm by myself today. My family is driving back home. We were only in Raleigh for a few days." She explained, hoping she didn't sound as desperate for company as she felt.

"Wow, only visiting town and you get hit by a car? Talk about bad luck." The cute nurse asked, flipping through her chart.

"Yeah, bad luck." Charity replied softly.

"So, I'm Ethan. The lady driving is Natalie. We should be in Tree Hill by late afternoon." Ethan said, noting the sadness in Charity's voice.

"I'm Charity Scott, but I guess you already knew that." She replied, forcing a smile.

"Yeah, but I'd much rather hear it from you than read it on your chart." Ethan replied, giving her a lopsided grin.

"So I bet you still get carded, don't you?" Charity asked. She couldn't get over how young Ethan looked.

"I'd imagine that I would, had I any interest in hitting a bar." Ethan replied, his eyes sparkling mischievously.

"What? You're kidding, right?" Charity asked incredulously.

"The good doctor is telling the truth. He rides the straight and narrow." Natalie commented from the driver's seat. Charity took in this new information.

"Dr. Ethan? Wow, how old are you?" She asked.

"I'm twenty-six. I graduated high school two years early. Anyway, enough about me. What were you doing in Raleigh?" Ethan asked lightly, changing the topic.

"I was there for a cheerleading competition." She answered, smiling widely so as to showcase her dimples. She grinned as a slight blush grew on Dr. Ethan's cheeks.

"A cheerleader, huh? I should have figured. No wonder you got hit by a car." Ethan joked. Charity shook her head, chuckling at Ethan's remark. She was beginning to be glad that she was riding to Tree Hill alone.


	28. Peace the evening brings

**A/N: Sorry for the shortness of the chapter, but once you read it, I hope that you'll agree that nothing more needed to be said. ;)**

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my own characters.

Brooke found Jake and ushered him out to the car. She wanted to beat the ambulance back to Tree Hill. She hated the fact that Charity chose to ride alone, and she didn't want to return to an empty hospital room.

"What's wrong?" She asked Jake, noticing how down he appeared to be. Jake gave her a small smile before he turned and stared at the passing traffic.

"I talked to Peyton." He said softly. Brooke's heart went out to him. She knew how much he had suffered, still suffered, after his split with Peyton. She knew exactly how he was feeling. She'd been in close proximity to Lucas for two days and her nerves were fried. He still had so much power over her. She wished she could flip a switch and turn off her reaction to him along with her feelings.

"I'm sorry Jake. Is there anything I can do?" She offered. She knew that there was nothing that she could say or do, but she wanted him to know that she was there.

"No, I'll be alright. Actually, I'm not even that upset over her, which is surprising. I thought seeing her would affect me so much more than it did. It's like I built up the moment, thinking that I would be devastated, but I'm not." He said animatedly, turning to face Brooke. Brooke smiled at the man that she had come to cherish. She hadn't had anyone that she could count on, as much as she had Jake, since high school.

"That's great. If you're finally getting over Peyton, then maybe there is hope for me after all." She shrugged sadly. Jake reached out and squeezed her hand.

"I know there is Brooke. One of these days you'll meet a man whose worthy of you, I know it." He said encouragingly. Brooke nodded slowly, wishing she was as sure of herself as Jake was.

"So, how is Charity doing?" He asked, letting go of her hand. In the back of her mind, she wished he hadn't, but she quickly pushed that thought out of her head.

"She's doing better. Well, physically. The doctor said that she'll be in physical therapy for a couple weeks, then outpatient pt for another six weeks or so. She'll get to come home when she can walk with support." Brooke said, trying to keep her voice upbeat. Charity's prognosis could have been much more devastating, but it was already awful enough for Brooke. She didn't know if she had the strength to watch Charity pull away and shut everyone out for another few weeks.

"I suppose it could be worse." Jake said, giving Brooke a sideways glance. She nodded, as she weaved in and out of traffic.

"I know, I could be burying her, instead of girl that she grew up with." Brooke admitted, breaking down into tears. Jake rubbed her back and coaxed her to exit the freeway. As they pulled over in a parking lot, Brooke sobbed into Jake's chest. She had been trying to be strong for her daughter, and push the what-if's to the back of her mind, but she couldn't contain her emotions any longer.

"Brooke, it's going to be alright. Charity is going to be fine. She's a fighter, just like her mother." Jake whispered reassuringly, as he continued to hold her tightly. Jake cupped her chin, brushing a stray hair from her face, and leaned in to her. Brooke's eyes grew wide as she realized that Jake was kissing her. His lips touched hers so softly, that she almost wondered if she hadn't imagined the whole thing.

"I'm sorry if that was too forward." Jake began apologizing, as Brooke continued to stare at him in silence. Brooke searched for adequate words to describe the way she was feeling. Finding none, she crashed her lips into his.

It was quite some time before her car was back on the road.


	29. Illusion never changed

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my own characters

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my own characters!

Charity groaned in pain as she fought to take another step. No one had prepared her for the torture of physical therapy. She had been working her legs from a seated position for the better part of three weeks. Today, her physical therapist had informed her that she was going to walk. Charity had been more amused than anything, at the thought of attempting to walk. Now, she wished she had been a little less eager.

"C'mon Charity, you can take one more step!" Gwen, the perky little therapy assistant said, encouragingly. For a moment, Charity entertained an evil plot that involved Gwen, Charity's wheelchair and a high cliff, before she concentrated all her efforts on moving her right foot, even a fraction of an inch. Surprisingly, she was able to slide it forward at least two inches.

"That's great Charity!" Gwen cheered, as she helped Charity back into her wheelchair. Charity rolled her eyes. She had taken two tiny steps and she wasn't seeing what was so great about that.

"Alright, well let's get you loaded up and back to the hospital. Same time tomorrow?" Gwen asked happily, as she wheeled Charity down the stark, white hallway.

"Sorry, I have plans." Charity said sarcastically. Gwen simply smiled and shook her head.

"You know, I was a cheerleader in high school, too. It's funny, but I can't imagine someone, who has as bad an attitude as you do, being a cheerleader," Gwen said, losing her perkiness for the first time since Charity had met her.

"Well, from one cheerleader to another, shove it up your a…"

"Charity Scott!" Gwen admonished, cutting her off. Charity gave her big smile, as Gwen handed her over to the ambulance attendant.

"See you tomorrow!" Charity called brightly, as the ambulance door swung shut. As soon as they had pulled away, she let the smile drop. If she hadn't been assured by her mother that this was the best rehabilitation facility in the state, she would have asked to be moved. School was starting in a month, and Charity was damned sure not going to wheel herself around all day. It was bad enough that she was going to miss out on cheering her entire junior year.

"Alright Ms. Scott, are you ready?" The attendant asked. Charity nodded. She was ready to get back to her room and relax. She thought about calling Lauren, but decided against it. Since Lauren and Derek had started dating, a few weeks ago, Charity had put some distance between herself and her sister. She was certain that she was over Derek, but still, the thought of her sister and her ex-boyfriend together, made her a bit uncomfortable.

As the aid wheeled her into her room, Charity realized that she wouldn't be relaxing this afternoon.

"Tyler. What are you doing here?" She asked coldly, after she had been helped back into her bed. She hadn't heard a word from Tyler since she had thrown him out of her room in Raleigh. Hell, she spoken to Ethan, the doctor that had escorted her back to Tree Hill, more than she had spoken to Tyler in the last three weeks.

"I thought we needed to talk," Tyler said, as he paced the room. Charity chuckled at Tyler's nervousness.

"Really? I guess whatever you want to talk about isn't very important. I mean, you waited three weeks to say it." Charity said sweetly, staring daggers at Tyler.

"I was waiting for you to call me, but it became very clear that you weren't going to do that," Tyler replied evenly.

"Why would I call you? You're the one that lied to me, if my memory serves me correctly," She said.

"I didn't lie to you! Yeah, I told you something that wasn't true, but I didn't do it to hurt you. I just assumed that Derek and Amy hooked up, and I know that I shouldn't have told you that, without making sure, but I did. I'm sorry. I wanted to tell you the truth, but I wanted to avoid this," He said, gesturing between them.

"I know you're sorry Tyler, but that's the problem. Everyone is always sorry! That doesn't stop them from continuing to screw things up, does it?" She asked, as she shook her head dejectedly. Tyler stopped pacing and gave her a long look.

"So that's it? This is where we stand?" He asked softly, taking a step toward her. Charity was torn, she wanted to tell him that yes, this is where their relationship was going to lie. She had been lied to and hurt by enough people in her short life and she didn't need anymore names to add to the list. On the other hand, this was Tyler that she was talking about. He had swept into her life, and with one fabulous kiss, set her world spinning. She had never felt half the emotions, for anyone, that she had felt for Tyler. She just wasn't entirely sure that she could trust him with her heart, and if you didn't have trust, you didn't really have a relationship, did you?

"I don't know, Tyler. I just don't know."


	30. A million lies to sell yourself

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my own characters!

"So, I don't know what to think. Do you really think that she and I are done?" Tyler asked, as he squinted, looking at Lauren. Lauren sighed and climbed onto the picnic table beside Tyler. When he had called and asked her to meet him at the River Court, she had assumed that something like this had happened. She knew that Charity was good at pushing people away, but Lauren had never suspected that Tyler would be one of them.

"I don't know Tyler. I haven't really talked to her lately," she admitted, as she kicked at a loose board. She already felt extremely guilty for not visiting Charity, but admitting it aloud made her feel much worse.

"I kind of figured. I mean, with you and Derek dating, it's got to be weird," he said, casting a sideways glance at Lauren.

"I don't want it to be. I just don't know what to say to her," Lauren said, shrugging. Tyler swung his arm over her shoulders and pulled her close.

"I know the feeling," he said as he dropped his arm. Tyler let out a sigh and stood up.

"Thanks for talking to me. I'll talk to you later, okay?" he said, smiling at her, before he turned and walked back to his car. Lauren watched him leave before lying down across the table. She closed her eyes and relished in the feeling of the warm sun on her skin. She had started to doze off when she heard the creaking of gravel under a tire. She sat up slowly, grinning, as she saw Derek walking towards her.

"Are you stalking me?" she asked playfully.

"Always," Derek replied as he bent to kiss her. Lauren's body felt alive with electricity as she finally pulled away.

"I called Tyler. He told me that he had just been here with you," Derek said, as he played with a strand of Lauren's hair.

"I'm glad you're here. I had thought about going to see Charity," she said slowly, unsure of how Derek would react.

"I think that's a good idea," he said, nodding. Lauren twined her fingers between his.

"C'mon, I'll drive you," he said, as he helped her jump down. The easiness of their relationship brought a smile to Lauren's face. It was a welcome change from the paranoia that had consumed her relationship with Tyler. With Derek, there was only lightness and frivolity. She liked that there was no pressure and no expectations.

"Do you want me to come in with you?" Derek asked, as he drove. Lauren chewed her lip as the weighed the pros and cons. If he came up with her, she would have moral support. But, on the other hand, she didn't want to make it seem as if they were ambushing Charity.

"I think it would be easier if I went alone, not that I don't appreciate your offer," Lauren said, giving him a reassuring smile.

"Alright, well I guess I'll wait here for you," he said, as he pulled into a parking space. Lauren nodded. She took a deep breath as she exited the vehicle. She knew that she needed to clear the air with Charity, but she also knew how brutally scathing her sister could be.

Lauren stopped short, outside of Charity's room. She thought about simply turning around and leaving. Before she completely chickened out, she forced herself to push open the door.

"Hi," Lauren said shyly, as she walked into Charity's room. Charity glanced up from the magazine that she reading, but didn't speak. Lauren sighed, wondering just how long Charity intended to punish her.

"I get that you're pissed at me. I haven't been a very good friend or sister lately. I'm sorry." Lauren said, glancing at Charity. She continued flipping through her magazine, seemingly oblivious to Lauren. Lauren felt herself growing angry. Here she was, trying to apologize for not being there when Charity needed her, and for what, for someone to blatantly ignore the fact that she was even in the room?

"Fine, obviously you're in no mood to talk. I guess I'll see you," Lauren said, turning towards the door.

"It doesn't feel so great, does it?" Charity asked softly, just before Lauren reached the door.

"Being ignored, I mean. Hell, you could barely tolerate it for two minutes. I've been stuffed away in this dreary hospital for three weeks. By the way, did you and Tyler coordinate your plan of attack today? Is this supposed to be some 1-2 punch?" Charity asked.

"I get it, Charity. I've already apologized for the way that I've treated you." Lauren said, keeping one hand on the door, incase she needed a speedy exit.

"I know you're sorry. Everyone is sorry today. What about yesterday? What about the last three weeks? Were you sorry then?" Charity asked, her voice shaking.

"Of course I was! I wanted to be here everyday, but when I told you that Derek and I were dating, you gave me the brush off. I thought maybe you needed some space or some time to be okay with that." Lauren said defensively.

"Are you sure it wasn't you who needed the time to be okay with it?" Charity said, challenging Lauren.

"What are you talking about?" Lauren snapped. She was beginning to think that maybe Charity had gotten a few too many pain pills today.

"I'm saying that maybe you are the one who was feeling guilty about dating your sister's ex-boyfriend. Maybe it was you who needed some space from me, because the guilt was eating you alive." Charity said slowly, enunciating every syllable. Lauren turned, glaring at Charity and the smug little smile that she had on her face, before turning the handle of the door and fleeing the room.


	31. What it feels like beside you

**A/N: I am soo sorry for the delay in chapters. I had a hellish last month of school, but my semester is now officially over! Updates should become more frequent again!**

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my own characters

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my own characters!

Peyton heard the back door slam just moments before her office door flew open loudly.

"I can't believe she had the nerve to say that to me! After everything that she and Tyler did behind my back, she has the nerve to…" Lauren said angrily, throwing her hands up in the air and stomping out of Peyton's office. Peyton raised an eyebrow, wondering what exactly had provoked Lauren's outburst.

Sighing, she got up from her desk and walked down the hall to Lauren's room. She knocked once before opening the door and peeking in.

"You sound like you need to talk. Can I come in?" Peyton asked, barely detecting the slight nod of Lauren's head.

"So, what's up?" She asked, sitting down beside Lauren, who had thrown herself face down on her bed.

"Charity. What else?" Lauren mumbled into the bed. Peyton nodded slowly. Charity's behavior of late had been a frustration for Lucas as well. The extra stress had carried over into his relationship with Peyton. She knew that Brooke had taken the reigns on Charity's treatment, and since Lucas had primary custody, that meant a lot of compromising and cooperation on Lucas's part. Peyton knew first hand just how "easy" Brooke could be to cooperate with. If Charity was anything like her mother, than Peyton knew just how Lauren was feeling.

"The worst part is that even though she had no right to say what she did, she's right," Lauren said softly, rolling over to face Peyton.

"Thanks for caring, but I think I just want to be alone for awhile," Lauren said, giving Peyton a half-hearted smile before rolling back onto her stomach. Peyton nodded and quietly left the room. She thought about calling Lucas and having another chat with him about Charity, but those conversations only sufficed to make Lucas feel more helpless and frustrated. Before she had decided one way or the other, the phone began to ring. Peyton smiled as she read Lucas's name on the caller ID.

"Hi," She answered, her smile evident in her voice.

"Hey," Lucas replied. Peyton frowned, noting how tired he sounded.

"Listen, I've been thinking and I was wondering if you were free tonight? I thought maybe I could come over and we could talk?" Lucas asked. His voice shook slightly, causing Peyton to wonder why he sounded so very nervous.

"Uh, yeah, that's fine. Lauren is home, but she's holed up in her room," Peyton said, trying to ignore the dread that was forming in the pit of her stomach. Lucas had been snappy and distant with her lately. He couldn't be leaving her, could he?

"Alright, well I'll be over in just a bit." Lucas said with a note of finality in his words. Peyton said goodbye and hung up the phone. Her eyes darted around the room as she tried futilely to think of any reason that Lucas would have to call her like this.

Various worst-case scenarios swirled around in Peyton's mind. Before she had too much more time to worry, the ringing of the doorbell jolted her out of her thoughts. She slowly made her way to the door, and hesitated a moment before opening it.

"Hey Luke, come on in," Peyton said, trying to sound more cheerful than she felt. Lucas gave her a small smile as he passed by her and into the living room.

"Do you want anything to drink?" She asked, fiddling with her shirt. She didn't know why she was so completely out of sorts. Sure, Lucas had sounded nervous on the phone, and sure, telling her that they needed to talk had never led to a positive conversation, but this time could be different, right?

"Actually, I had thought about calling you. Lauren went to see Charity today. I don't know what happened, but Lauren was so angry you could practically see the smoke rolling out of her ears. She hasn't come out of her room since." Peyton said. She did want to talk to Lucas about the girls. Delaying the reason for Lucas's visit was only part of the reason she brought the incident up.

Lucas shook his head and let out a large sigh. He cut his eyes toward Peyton for a split second before he dropped his head, staring into his lap.

"I don't know what you want me to about it, Peyton. I've tried talking to Charity; I've tried talking to Brooke. Hell, I've even suggested that we get Charity to a therapist. Needless to say, Brooke nixed that idea," Lucas said, his words carrying an undercurrent of anger. Peyton immediately regretted bringing Charity up. She knew that Lucas had exhausted his options. It wasn't that Brooke was trying to make things harder; she was just being, well, Brooke. It was common knowledge that once Brooke got an idea into her head, it would take hell or high water to get it out. The last thing that Peyton had wanted was to put more pressure on Lucas right now.

"I know Lucas," Peyton began. She paused as Lucas stood up quickly and spun around to face her.

"No, you don't know. You don't have any idea of what I've gone through these last few weeks!" Lucas shouted, glaring at her from across the room. Peyton felt her face flush in anger.

"I have been by your side, as much as possible, since the accident. I put my life on the back burner, so that I could do everything in my power to make this easier for you! How dare you, Lucas Scott!" She exclaimed, crossing the distance between them.

"I don't know what you came here to say to me, but you'd better say it quick. I'm about two minutes from throwing your ass out!" Peyton said quietly, her eyes flashing. Lucas shook his head with a rueful laugh.

"Believe it or not, I came here to ask you to marry me."


	32. And as we lie beneath the stars

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my own characters!

"Are you serious?" Peyton gasped. Lucas's words had taken her completely by surprise.

"Well, I was," Lucas replied quickly, worriedly. Peyton's eyes widened as she realized how she must have sounded.

"Oh, no, I didn't mean it like that.." she trailed off; giving way to one of the most awkward silences she had ever been a part of. Lucas cleared his throat and fished around in his jacket pocket. He smoothly pulled out the ring box and bent down on one knee.

"I should have asked you this, years ago. Peyton Sawyer, will you marry me?" Lucas asked, his voice shaking slightly. Peyton felt the swell of emotion rise up in her throat. She knew she had to answer now, before she was sobbing too hard to speak.

"Yes, I'll marry you. Yes!" she said, tears already spilling down her face. She launched herself at Lucas, toppling him backwards, and onto the floor. She laughed aloud, but it came out sounding more like a hiccup, which only made them laugh harder. Peyton closed her eyes, trying to remember every bit of the moment. She was more aware of her happiness then she had been in years.

"What is going on out here?" Lauren asked, sounding annoyed. Peyton rolled off of Lucas and saw Lauren standing over them; her hands perched on her hips. Peyton glanced at Lucas, unsure of what to say to Lauren. She was unsure if Lucas wanted to spill the beans or if he wanted to wait.

"Can you keep a secret?" Lucas asked solemnly, his blue eyes sparkling mischievously. Lauren cocked an eyebrow and kept silent. Lucas apparently took this as a sign to continue.

"I divulged my mob ties to your mother," Lucas said quietly. Peyton watched in amusement as his jaw muscle twitched, fighting the smile that threatened to ruin his straight face. Lauren let out an exasperated sigh, shook her head, and stalked back to her room.

"I don't think she believed me," Lucas joked, grinning at Peyton. Before Peyton could comment, Lucas's cell phone began vibrating. He shot her an apologetic smile and fished it out of his jacket pocket.

"It's Brooke," he said dryly, flipping the cell open to greet his ex-wife. Peyton picked herself off the ground and headed into the kitchen, to give Lucas some privacy. For the first time, she caught sight of the beautiful ring on her left hand. She was delighted to see that ring looked antique. She shot a glance at Lucas. It still amazed her just how thoroughly Lucas knew her.

"How perfect is this?" Lucas asked, wearing a huge smile, as he joined Peyton in the kitchen. Peyton's face must have shown her confusion.

"Brooke called to tell me that Charity is being released in the morning. She'll have outpatient physical therapy three times a week, but at least she'll be back home. At any rate, this means we can tell the girls tomorrow evening, if you want," Lucas offered, taking her hand in his.

"That sounds perfect," she said, burying her head in Lucas's shoulder. For Peyton, life didn't get any better than this.


	33. You were just too busy with yourself

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my own characters!

"Good morning sunshine!" Brooke called as she bustled into Charity's room. Charity gave her a level look. It was far too early in the morning for anyone to be that cheerful.

"I have good news," Brooke said, "You're physical therapist said that since you're doing so well with a walker now that you can start outpatient therapy. You're coming home today."

Charity gave her mother a questioning glance. The last time she'd gone to therapy she'd barely moved a few inches. Gwen must have gotten fed up with her. As hard as Charity tried to keep her expression neutral, she couldn't stop the smile that quickly spread across her face.

"I thought that might help bring you out of your funk," Brooke said. Charity shrugged, feigning ignorance.

"Oh Charity, don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about. Your dad and I have heard all about your behavior lately," Brooke said, as she busied herself with packing up Charity's belongings.

"Right, because it's such a crime to be anything but happy and chipper, right mom?" Charity replied, slipping back into her comfortable sarcasm. Brooke gave Charity a rueful smile.

"You might be able to play this game with your friends, but I'm your mother. You can't push me away," Brooke said softly, staring intently at her daughter. Charity quickly turned away from her mothers gaze. She knew that her mother was right. Brooke had all but invented this particular defense mechanism. As she watched her mother packing up her things, her thoughts began to drift. She found herself remembering how dejected Tyler had looked after their last conversation. His quiet acceptance of the situation had disappointed Charity. She could remember being a young girl and hearing her mom and dad arguing. Her mother had been fond of telling her father that he'd never fought for her a day in his life. Charity used to think that was a pretty petty thing to fight about. In all her immaturity, she had assumed that if her dad loved her mom enough to be with her then that should have been enough. Unfortunately Charity now understood, far too well, exactly how her mother felt. She wanted Tyler to fight for her. She wanted him to need her as desperately as she needed him. The problem was that due to Charity's stupidity, it was entirely possible that Tyler didn't know that Charity needed him.

"Alright, I have most of the big stuff. I'm going to run these things to your dad's and then I'll be back to pick up some more," Brooke said, as she juggled the boxes precariously. Charity nodded. She needed the time alone. She had some major damage to try and undo and she didn't need an audience.

As soon as her mother was gone, Charity grabbed her cell phone and quickly dialed Tyler's number. As the phone continued to ring, Charity's heart sank. He obviously didn't want to talk to her.

"Hello?" he answered, just as Charity was about to hang up. She hesitated a moment, suddenly unsure of herself.

"Hey, it's me. Are you busy?" she asked.

"Yeah, I am. It's not really a good time," he replied quickly. Charity's eyes narrowed suspiciously. She was certain that she'd heard a girl giggling in the background. Who was Tyler with?

"Oh, okay. Well, if you aren't busy later, give me a call," Charity said lightly. She could definitely hear the giggling in the background again.

"I think I'll be pretty busy today, sorry. Anyway, I'll see you around," Tyler said, ending the call. Charity stared at the phone in utter disbelief. Without another thought, she dialed Lauren's number.

"Hello?" a male voice answered. Charity was momentarily disoriented. Had she dialed the wrong number?

"Hi, I was trying reach Lauren Sawyer," she said, sounding a bit uncertain. Suddenly, realization dawned on her.

"Tyler?" she asked.

"Yeah, hang on, I'm getting Lauren," he replied, sounding irritated. Charity shook her head, the irony of the situation drawing an amused chuckle. Of course Tyler was with Lauren; where else would he be when Charity wasn't in the picture. She listened intently, hearing a whispered conversation, but she couldn't make anything out.

"Charity?" Lauren asked.

"Hey. Look, I know I'm probably not your favorite person right now, and I have no right to ask anything of you, but could you please just tell me that nothing is going on with you and Tyler," Charity asked softly. Normally she would have jumped to conclusions and read Lauren the riot act, but Charity couldn't believe that she had meant so little to Tyler all this time. No, he had to care for her enough not to run straight back to her sister at the first sign of trouble, right?


	34. When everything seems like the movies

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my own characters!

Lauren hesitated. She knew that she should quickly put Charity's fears to rest, but the temptation to play with her sisters emotions, was just too great.

"Uh, I can't really talk right now. I'll give you a call later," Lauren said, making her voice sound nervous and slightly panicky. As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she felt a pang of guilt. Instead of waiting for Charity's reply, Lauren closed her cell phone.

She quickly got back to work, pushing the conversation to the back of her mind. She and Tyler were decorating the living room in celebration of Charity's homecoming. Her mom and dad were busy moving Charity's things into a downstairs bedroom and Brooke had gone to pack up her daughters things at the hospital.

"What did Charity want?" Tyler asked as he came back with an armful of streamers that needed hanging.

"Oh, nothing, really. She just wanted to tell me that she was coming home today," Lauren lied, smoothly. Lauren stole a glance at him and noted the pensive expression on his face.

"Okay, what's up?" she asked, setting the streamers down on the couch so that she could give him her full attention.

"I probably shouldn't be talking to you about this, but I think that Charity dumped me," Tyler said, his words sounding more like a question than a statement. Lauren's eyes grew wide. That certainly explained Charity's phone call earlier.

"Why do you only think she dumped you?" Lauren asked, trying to piece together the puzzle.

"She didn't exactly say that we were through, but she kinda implied it. Okay, she was pissed at me because I sorta let her believe that Derek had cheated on her, when he hadn't. I didn't lie to her, though! I assumed he had, too." Tyler said, his words taking on a defensive tone. Lauren nodded. Derek had already told her as much.

"Anyway, she completely blew it out of proportion and well, I just don't know," Tyler said, shaking his head. Lauren's mind was working in overdrive. This new information from Tyler painted a clear picture for Lauren.

"Do you think it could be because she still has feelings for Derek?" Lauren asked the irony prevalent in her tone. Tyler raised an eyebrow, giving Lauren a critical look. She could almost see the gears turning in his head.

"No," Tyler said softly, shaking his head. Lauren didn't know if he really didn't believe that, or if he just didn't want to believe it. Hell, she didn't want to believe it either, but it just fit too well not to.

"Hey guys!" Derek called, as he joined them in the living room. Lauren had almost forgotten that Derek was coming. She managed a small smile in his direction.

"Alright, I got the cake and the stuff for the punch," Derek said, oblivious to the tension in the room.

"Thanks Derek. Hey, can I talk to you for a minute?" Lauren asked, leading Derek up the stairs to her room.

"What's up?" he asked, sitting down on the edge of her bed. Lauren fidgeted with the door, stalling, before she turned to face him.

"Do you ever wish you were back with Charity?" she asked bluntly. There was no use in beating around the bush.

"Why are you asking me this?" Derek asked. Lauren picked up on a hint of anger in his question.

"Because I want to know," Lauren replied, crossing her arms. The way that Derek was avoiding the question was doing little to convince her. Derek opened his mouth to speak, closed it with a look of resignation and sat back down. When he raised his head to her, the sympathetic expression on his face said it all.

"Get out," Lauren hissed softly. She didn't want Derek to see the tears that were threatening to spill down her cheeks. He walked to the door, and turned, opening his mouth to speak, but Lauren cut him off.

"Go," she whispered. He nodded and started to pull the door shut. Loud, excited laughter made its way up the stairs.

"Welcome home, Charity!"


	35. You bleed just to know you're alive

_I won't be updating over the weekend. I did wan't to take a second and Thank everyone who's been reading and reviewing! Hearing your thoughts and opinions is a great motivator for me! Enjoy the weekend and please, if you read, review!_

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my own characters!

Charity's eyes grew wide as she took in the scene before her. Someone, probably her dad, had decorated the living room with streamer and a banner that read "Welcome home Charity!". They most surprising aspect was standing just a few feet in front of her. Tyler was in her home, waiting to welcome her back. She hadn't seen that one coming. Movement from the stairs caught her attention. She grinned as she saw Derek, followed by Lauren, making their way into the room. Charity let out a little sigh of relief; that explained the mix-up on the phone earlier.

She really wanted to talk to Tyler, but the burning pain in her legs was enough to signal that it was time for a rest. She slowly shuffled the walker across the floor, and with her dads help, managed to lie down on the couch.

"Thanks guys, for everything," she said, giving Lauren and Tyler a sheepish smile.

"Alright, well we're going to finish up your room," Lucas said, motioning for Brooke and Peyton to join him. Charity cocked an eyebrow as she watched her parent's and Peyton leave the room. She wondered how long it would be until a catfight erupted between her and Lauren's mothers.

"Guys, can you give Charity and I a moment?" Lauren asked when the adults were safely out of earshot. Tyler nodded and he and Derek headed into the kitchen.

"When were you going to tell me?" Lauren asked her softly, a dangerous mix of anger and sadness glinted in her eye. Charity shook her head, unsure of what she was supposed to be telling her sister.

"Oh come on, Charity. It's pathetically obvious. You want Derek," Lauren said coldly. Charity's eyes widened.

"What are you talking about?" Charity asked in exasperation. She had absolutely no idea where Lauren had gotten that idea. Granted, Charity had used Lauren and Derek's relationship against Lauren, but it didn't have anything to do with the way she felt about him.

"Let's see, you broke up with Tyler because of Derek, you used him as a guilt trip against me, oh and by a convenient twist of fate, he still loves you," Lauren said, ticking off the items on her fingers. Charity had already opened her mouth to defend herself, but she was rendered dumbstruck by Lauren's final point. Derek loved her?

"Watching my boyfriends fall in love with you is really getting old," Lauren said sadly, sinking down onto the couch beside Charity.

"I'm sorry." Charity mumbled. Lauren simply nodded. The silence nearly deafened Charity. She wanted to say something, anything, to undo all the pain she'd caused, but there were no words.

"I love you Charity, but I can't be around you right now," Lauren said, not meeting Charity's gaze. Charity reached out to Lauren, but she shook her head and stood.

"I'll see you later," Lauren said, turning to leave. She nearly plowed into Peyton and their dad.

"Where are you off to so soon?" Peyton asked.

"Absolutely nowhere," Lauren sighed, sitting down in the chair across from Charity.

"Good, because we have a surprise for you two," Lucas said, nodding towards Charity and Lauren.

"Fabulous," Charity muttered under her breath. Knowing her dad, it was probably something lame.

"Peyton and I are getting married!" he said, a jubilant smile on his face. The room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. A sudden movement caught Charity's attention. Her sister's feet barely seemed to touch the ground. The silence was soon shattered by the loud slamming of the front door.


	36. Dancing where the evening fell

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my own characters!

Brooke's heart was racing. Lucas's announcement had stuck her completely off-guard. She slowly eased the door shut to the guest room, which would be Charity's until she could handle the stairs, and sat down on her daughter's bed. Yes, she and Lucas were divorced, and yes, she and Jake had, well, whatever it was that they had, but hearing Lucas announcing his intent to marry Peyton was the final nail in the coffin of their marriage.

Brooke's eyes widened as the door swung open. Lucas came in and busied himself with rebuilding Charity's bookcase. Brooke wasn't sure if she should pretend she hadn't heard anything, or if she should say something.

"I don't know if you meant for me to hear or not, but congratulations," Brooke said softly. The smile on her face didn't quite reach her eyes.

"I'm sorry you had to hear it that way. I wanted to talk to you about it," Lucas said, turning to give her his full attention.

"I appreciate that Lucas, but it's not necessary," she said, shaking her head.

"Of course it is, Pretty girl," Lucas said with a smile. Brooke felt as if her insides were turned to ice. She hadn't heard those words from his lips in so long.

"I have to go," she whispered, her vision growing blurry behind a cloud of tears.

"Brooke, wait," he said, reaching out to put a hand on her arm. By the look on his face, Brooke knew that he had quickly realized his mistake. She snatched her purse off the bed and flew down the hall. She didn't even pause to say goodbye to Charity. As Brooke pulled out of the driveway she saw Lucas burst out of the front door. His forlorn expression tugged on her heartstrings. She nearly stopped the car, but the colder, bitter side of Brooke won out.

She wished more than anything that she could make go back to when her life made sense. It wasn't so much that she wanted Lucas back; it was more that she wanted to go back to a place where she felt in control of her life. Currently she felt more like she was in some sort of holding pattern, especially concerning her relationship with Jake. After they had gotten over their initial surprise over their mutual attraction, there had been little to no progress made between them. Brooke valued Jake's friendship far too much to 'rock the boat' and ask him to commit to her. She suspected that he felt the same way, but a small voice in the back of her head told her that she didn't ask for a commitment because she feared he would reject her.

As she drove, these thoughts and more filled her head until the jarring ring of her cell phone interrupted her thoughts.

"Hello?" she answered, without even a glace at the caller ID. She knew it was Jake. He had an uncanny knack for knowing just when she needed to hear his voice.

"Hi," Jake replied. She could tell by the sound of his voice that he was smiling. She loved that she knew these little things about him.

"I really needed to hear your voice," she admitted, a shy smile forming on her face.

"I felt the exact same way," he said, making her heart thump just a little quicker.

"I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I found out something today," Jake said, his voice taking on a slightly darker tone.

"Me too, but you go first," Brooke said, wanting to put that news off for as long as possible.

"Peyton and Lucas are getting married," he said gently.

"How did you know? I just found out today!" Brooke exclaimed, shaking her head. She knew that good news traveled fast but this was just ridiculous.

"I'm sorry Brooke. Jenny told me this afternoon. Are you holding up okay?" He asked sympathetically. Brooke considered telling him that she was fine, but she had never lied to Jake and she didn't want to start now.

"I'm kind of a mess, Jake. It's not like I didn't realize it before or anything, but this means that Lucas and I really done," she said, her voice raw with emotion. The silence on the line was deafening.


	37. 50 thousand tears I've cried

**A/N: I wanted to apologize for the erratic posting schedule this summer. I have been insanely busy. If anyone is still reading.. THANK YOU! **

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my own characters!

Lauren flew down the sidewalk and flung her car door open. She was in the street before the tears began to sting her eyelids. She wanted to scream aloud regarding the unfairness of the situation. She had wished for this, for her parents to marry, since she was a child. It didn't seem fair that she should get what she most desired at a time when she couldn't see past the negatives.

"Nega_tive_," she whispered, correcting herself. There was actually only one big negative and it went by the name of Charity Scott. Lauren let out a dry chuckle as she realized that only a few months ago she would have considered Charity not only her sister, but her best friend as well. Those days were long gone. Since the accident it seemed that Charity was hell bent on destruction and anyone standing in her way was simply collateral damage. At first, Lauren had been sympathetic. She couldn't imagine dealing with the death of someone she had been close to, and Lauren knew that Tyler wasn't exactly the world's easiest boyfriend. Lauren's sympathy had quickly turned to exasperation, as Charity systematically pushed away her friends and family. The exasperation didn't last long when Charity began lashing out at Lauren, though. Derek was the last straw. Now, all that Lauren felt for her sister was anger, and pity. Lauren had been clinging to the hope that the pity she felt for her sister meant that there was still some part of her that wasn't completely cold to Charity. That hope was fading fast.

Her cell phone rang in the seat beside her. It was Tyler's ringtone. She quickly grabbed the phone and flipped it open.

"What?" she answered, flinching at the harshness of her own voice.

"Are you okay? I came out to look for you and you were already flying down the street," Tyler asked. Lauren rolled her eyes. Of course her sister's boyfriend would be the one to call in her time of need.

"No. No, I don't even know what okay feels like anymore," Lauren said, a cold laugh escaping her lips.

"Do you want to go somewhere and talk?" Tyler asked. Lauren let out another rueful laugh.

"No, what I want is to go to sleep, wake up, and find out this whole year has been a horrible nightmare," she replied, with an edge to her voice.

"Do you want me to call Derek?" Tyler asked, his words heavy with concern. She stiffened at the mention of Derek's name. Another round of tears began to roll down her cheeks. She quickly pulled herself together, knowing that Tyler was awaiting her reply.

"No. We broke up. He's still in love with your girlfriend," Lauren whispered, getting only halfway through the sentence before her voice broke with emotion.

"I'm sorry," Tyler replied, after a long silence. Lauren's face contorted in confusion. Tyler didn't sound nearly as surprised or angry as she had imagined he would.

"Did you know?" she asked, her eyes narrowing as realization washed over her.

"I—yeah, I mean, he said that he was struggling with that, but he told me that he was really happy with you. He was so sure that in time he'd get over Charity and he said that you were really helping him to," Tyler said, trailing off weakly. Lauren didn't know how to reply to that. She was a second-rate stand-in, again. She shut her phone and chucked it across the car. It bounced off the window and landed back in the seat. She concentrated all her energy on not thinking about Tyler's words and how much they hurt.

As she steered the car down the street to her house, she saw someone sitting on her porch steps. From the distance she could barely make out a shape, let alone a face. She slowed the car, fearing that it was Derek. She wasn't sure she could handle seeing him, hearing his apologies. As she pulled the car up, in front of her house, she realized she needn't have worried. She flew out of the car and up the steps.

"Jenny!" she exclaimed, launching herself into the older girls arms.


End file.
